The End Justifies the Means
by tahmtahm
Summary: Have you ever wondered why those that know of Section 31 don't tell all? Perhaps it's because most of the time - the ends justify the means. Pre-Enterprise launch, though many of the crew are throughout - so far: Archer, Tucker, Mayweather, Reed, Phlox, and T'Pol.
1. Chapter 1

The End Justifies the Means

Harris wondered what would be revealed today in the inconspicuous warehouses that contained many of Section 31's training facilities. He had an assignment to hand out. He was confident that the agent he had in mind would fit to the task.

It had been hard to win her over almost a year ago, but her firm belief in duty and honor had been the clincher. Her very first assignment had been to recover stolen plans from Starfleet's Weapons Complex. He had needed someone who was able to blend in, predict behavior, work alone, and could act their way out of a tight situation. The stolen plans had been tracked to an outpost trading facility known for unsavory characters selling questionable items. She had been armed only with a description of the target. He had expected the assignment to take at least a month. She had returned with the target, the plans, and his ship in two weeks. The eyes he had on the outpost told him she was efficient and hadn't raised any suspicions in her apprehension of the target.

She seemed like the optimum agent, but he still had questions on her background. Her father was Doctor Allen Donovan, noted Starfleet Scientist that focused on Anthropology and Exobiology. Her mother was a bit of a mystery. She was humanoid, but not human. Trian Donovan had come from Ireland, but they could not find any definitive records on her family. Trian had died when her daughter was only four years old.

The agent had abilities that couldn't be explained. She healed quicker than normal and had a high tolerance for pain. She was very perceptive when it came to reading people and predicting their reactions. She was very strong and had a high endurance for running. Her hand to hand combat was amazing - he'd seen her take down four assailants by herself. The fact that she was a MACO and excelled at ground warfare was a definite plus. He had wondered how many of these abilities she had were inherited from her mother's species. They had tested her blood against all known species in the Interspecies Medical Exchange database and had come up with nothing. He'd slowly been putting her through random tests, to see how she would react to certain drugs and circumstances.

He looked at the large monitor as two men took her into a room, unconscious, and propped her up in a plush chair - the only item in the room. Today, he was going to find out how quickly she would wake up, re-orient herself, and escape the room.

He touched an icon on the panel, "Begin simulation."

One of the men pressed a hypo to her neck and injected the drug, then they quickly left and sealed the door.

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan woke up with a start. She quickly looked around the room. _Hadn't she just been somewhere else? _

She quickly stood up and went to the door. _Locked. _No windows, metal walls, one light fixture on the ceiling, and one chair. She paced off the room. _Nine feet by twelve feet. _She walked to the door again and pulled off the panel from the wall. She definitely wouldn't be able to open the door from the inside, but she could stall someone from entering the room. She quickly pulled out a handful of the circuitry wires and left them dangling out of the panel.

She pushed the chair to the wall and climbed up and stood on the back of the chair. She pushed up the ceiling tile and moved it aside. She reached for the ceiling frame and pulled herself up and used the wall to gain her footing. She braced one arm on the ceiling frame and the other across the opening, then pulled her legs up. She looked around the ceiling access for a way out. She carefully crawled twenty feet and looked through a vent and found a room with a bed, desk, and computer. She removed the vent and quickly dropped down into the room.

She checked the door to make sure it opened, then quickly had it shut. She went to the computer to try to access the building's schematics.

The monitor came on and she stepped back quickly because of the words that flashed across it.

_Congratulations, Lt. Donovan._

She blinked as everything came back to her. _It was just a simulation. _She turned around as the door behind her opened.

Her handler, Harris, stood in his non descript black uniform and nodded to her. "You did well, Lieutenant. You escaped in less than two minutes."

She watched him closely, her mind still felt like mud - but she didn't want him to know that. "If I'd had another few minutes, I could have downloaded the schematics of the building." she said.

He shrugged, "That's not what we were testing today. Maybe another time." He indicated for her to walk with him. He watched her surreptitiously as they continued down the corridors. He could see her pulse still working overtime by the vein at her throat and her green eyes still looked a little dilated. He was impressed that by the time they got to his office, she had gotten her pulse to return to normal and her eyes had cleared. He indicated for her to sit down in the chair across from his desk as he sat down.

He nodded, "You have done very well in your trainings and on the three missions you have completed for us. Do you feel you are ready to track down and capture an assassin?" he questioned her.

Donovan raised an eyebrow, "What species and where?" she asked.

"Human, and here on Earth." he stated.

She nodded, "Who's the target?"

"We have information that the assassin is after Admiral Forrest in order to disrupt the Warp 5 program and the launch of the Enterprise." he said.

She frowned, "Even if Admiral Forrest was assassinated, the program would still continue." she pointed out the flaw in the plan.

Harris nodded, "But he is a big proponent of the program and we're sure he's just the first of many targets." He watched her closely, "You know Admiral Forrest well?"

"He and General Casey were both on the Review Board when I went through the Military Science program at Stanford." Donovan stated. The thought that someone was targeting Admiral Forrest did not set well with her. In fact, she was very angry, but she schooled her facial expressions and controlled her blood pressure by taking controlled breaths.

"The most likely place for the hit will be a public event. In two weeks there will be a ceremony after the testing of the Enterprise's warp engines. You will need to be assigned as Admiral Forrest's personal security." Harris said.

She agreed, "That will be fine. It will take me a day to find out all the holes in his security."

"How do you want to play this out?" he questioned her.

"Normally, the Admiral would just assign a Starfleet Security detail and not accept a MACO. If we tell General Casey of the assassination plot and he recommends me to the Admiral, I think he'll be more receptive." Donovan explained to Harris.

Harris nodded slowly. He didn't normally like to include anyone on his operative's missions, but General Casey did allow her to work for the Section when they needed her skills. "Doesn't Admiral Forrest know your father?"

"Yes." she replied and wondered how that fact was relevant to the situation.

Harris grinned, "Okay, let's go brief General Casey and get you in as Admiral Forrest's personal security detail."


	2. Chapter 2

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 2

General Casey glanced at the young MACO Lieutenant walking with him down the corridors of Starfleet Command. She always looked like the poster MACO - her light brown hair was always pulled back neatly, her cami pants and jacket were always ironed, and most importantly - she always had a determined look on her face and walked with a purposeful stride.

He could think of no better MACO to guard the Admiral. Her tactical planning was right on par with his more experienced MACO officers and she had proven herself to be a very capable leader.

Commander Williams quickly came over as they entered the Admiral's outer office. "The Admiral is expecting you, General." he stated and waved them into the office.

Admiral Forrest stood up from behind his desk and walked around to greet his friend. His smile brightened when he saw Lt. Donovan. He shook Casey's hand, "Are you here to tell me that Donovan has changed her mind and she's moving over to Starfleet?" he grinned.

Casey smiled, "No, Admiral - but she is here to offer her services to you."

Maxwell Forrest looked between the two MACOs that stood in front of him and raised an eyebrow in question.

Commander Williams quietly moved to leave the room.

General Casey stopped him, "Commander, you need to be briefed as well, but we need the door closed."

Williams quickly closed the door and came back to the small group.

Casey looked at Forrest, "We have intelligence that there is an assassination plot on you, in order to disrupt the Warp 5 program and the launching of the Enterprise. We don't think they'll stop with you."

Forrest frowned, then he realized why Casey had brought Donovan, "You want Donovan to be my security?" he guessed.

Casey nodded, "She has proven herself even more capable than either of us could imagine." he reminded his friend of their discussions a few years ago.

Forrest looked at Lt. Donovan, "Tell me, why I should have you as my personal security instead of a Starfleet detail?"

Lt. Donovan watched her charge carefully, "Because I will protect you with my life. I will discover the weaknesses of your security and we will make corrections, as needed. I will find the assassin and he will be apprehended within two weeks." she stated. She didn't blink, didn't flinch. She didn't want to give him any indication that she wouldn't be able to do her assignment.

Admiral Forrest continued to study her for a few more moments, then nodded. "Very well." He looked at Commander Williams, "Commander Williams, this is Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan, my new personal security. Lt. Donovan, this is Commander Williams, my right hand man. If you need to know about anything, he can tell you - or can find out quickly."

Williams shook her hand and smiled softly as he wondered why the Admiral had given in so quickly.

Donovan nodded, "Commander, both Admiral Forrest and General Casey were on my Review Board at Stanford." she said.

General Casey grinned, "The MACOs won her over."

She looked at the Admiral, "It was a very hard decision." she pointed out.

Williams looked at her curiously, "What tipped the scale?" he asked.

"Major Hayes had taught a few of our classes and invited me to come to MACO training during my Spring Break." she stated. She didn't feel the need to explain any further. She looked the Admiral over closely from head to toe, "You have no weapons on you for protection?" she inquired.

"No, I didn't feel that I needed it when I woke up this morning." he said as he glanced at her phase pistol at her hip and her knife in her thigh holster. "How many weapons do you have on you?" he countered.

She shrugged, "Four, if you don't include my hands." She glanced at Commander Williams, "Why don't we go over the Admiral's itinerary?" she suggested.

Williams nodded, then looked at the Admiral for permission to leave.

Admiral Forrest nodded and sighed, "I have a few meetings here this afternoon. Get the information you need." he directed and dismissed the two of them. He turned to General Casey and offered him a seat as Williams closed the door.

Williams walked her over to the Admiral's Aide. "Lt. O'Dell, this is Lt. Donovan - she's the Admiral's new personal security."

Lt. O'Dell stood up from his desk and shook her hand, "Pleasure to meet you." he greeted her with a smile, then quickly got back to the report he was typing.

Donovan pulled out her PADD from her vest, "I will need the Admiral's itinerary so that I can secure the locations ahead of his arrival." she explained to Williams.

Williams nodded and uploaded the information from his PADD to hers. "That's the most up-to-date schedule, though many times it changes." he pointed out.

She nodded, "But the big events, they don't change - do they?" she questioned.

"No, they're planned weeks, if not months ahead of time. It's just some of his meetings during the day change when something comes up." Williams quickly explained.

"What's the procedure for getting the Admiral's shuttle?" she inquired.

Commander looked at her skeptically, "We call and they come."

She frowned, then quickly started typing a memo on her PADD, "I will instruct them to send us the personnel information of the pilot ahead of time and that the shuttle is inspected each time before it leaves the hanger." she stated and sent the orders out. She looked up at him, "I'm sure you will be questioned about these orders, please endorse them." she requested.

He nodded. He found her interesting, she wasn't like any other MACO he'd met before.

She glanced at him when she felt his eyes still on her, "Commander, you should take precautions as well. Don't take the same route to work and home, don't be predictable. Call me if you notice anything out of the ordinary - no matter how small and insignificant you think it is." she encouraged him.

He chuckled softly, "Okay, Lieutenant."

She glanced at the Admiral's door, "Is this the only entrance to his office?"

"Yes." Williams nodded as she pulled up the building schematics on her PADD and started asking him more questions.

Commander Williams sighed softly as he headed back into the Admiral's office. Donovan was nothing, if not through. The amount and types of questions she had hurled at him for over an hour had given him a headache.

Admiral Forrest looked up from the report he was reading. He smiled softly when he saw Williams' brow furrowed. "Headache?" he questioned and quickly opened his top drawer and selected the appropriate bottle. Headaches, gas, and indigestion - his doctor made sure he was set for the daily grind of his post. He handed the bottle to the Commander.

Williams quickly got out two pills and handed the bottle back, then went to get a water from the faucet. He came back a few moments later.

Forrest noticed the pinched look on the Commander loosen up, "Did she get all of the information she needed?" he inquired.

"I believe so. She having a pow wow with Major Hayes and her squad right now in the outer office, laying out her plans." Williams explained.

"She is very good. We're in good hands." he reassured Williams. "Okay, let's go over the reports I'll need to review before I meet with Ambassador Soval." he put their focus back on the task at hand.

Commander Williams nodded and pulled out two PADDs and started to go over the latest details on the missions they had going on in the sector.

Major Hayes looked over the security measures she had detailed for the next few days, then shrugged and handed the PADD back to her. "I don't think you're missing anything." She usually didn't doubt her leadership abilities, he wondered what had her rattled.

She looked up at him, "I just have a bad feeling that I've overlooked something." she admitted to her mentor.

He patted her shoulder, "Mull it over tonight, it will come to you - if there really is anything you've overlooked." He glanced around the office, then back at her. "When can I expect you and your squad to be back with us?" he questioned softly.

"Two weeks." she stated firmly.

He looked at her closely. She was good at what she did, hence the reason Harris had been calling upon her recently. He didn't want her to get pulled into Harris' clandestine club. He didn't mind loaning her out every once in a while, but he needed her back with the unit. She was an excellent instructor at hand to hand combat and unit tactics and she had been training the rest of the squads. They were gearing up for a training in another month and they had to be ready. He needed her back. "Two weeks." he nodded slowly. "If you need anymore MACOs, just call and I'll send some more over to work with you."

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan nodded, "Thank you, Major." She watched as he left. She took a deep breath and walked into the small waiting room where her squad awaited their instructions.

They snapped to attention when she entered.

She nodded and indicated for them to pull out their PADDs and began their debriefing.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

This story is actually a flashback of a much bigger story I'm in the process of writing.

Thank you to LoyaulteMeLie and Hummingbird2 for leaving reviews.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 3

Lt. Donovan walked a few steps in front of Admiral Forrest as they headed to his next appointment in the Conference Room. She scanned the room, then stood at the door and out of the way.

Admiral Forrest immediately nodded to the Vulcans as they came in. "Ambassador Soval, it is good to see you again."

The Vulcan Ambassador returned the nod, then glanced back at the MACO at the door. "You have a guard now?" he questioned the Admiral as he assessed the female.

"Just a precaution, Ambassador - just as your guards are there for you." Forrest indicated the Vulcan Security guard that stood at the other side of the door. Forrest smiled, _heaven help anyone that tries to get in here with the two of them at the door_. "Ambassador Soval, this is Lt. Donovan." he introduced her.

Donovan nodded to the Ambassador, then he quickly turned back to business and the small group of Vulcans and Starfleet upper echelons began their discussion. She kept an ear on the conversation as she scanned the behavior and postures of those present.

"The testing of the Warp Engines will proceed next Friday morning." Forrest said as he indicated the information on the wall monitor.

"It is unwise to test the engines when the Enterprise is not completely finished." Soval pointed out as he glanced at his Vulcan counterparts.

"The Enterprise is ready to test the engines. What good would it do to wait until all of the furniture is on board?" Admiral Davis questioned.

"You should wait until the ship is complete." Soval stated again. "It would be unfortunate if something happened, and the crew were delayed in returning to Earth."

Forrest looked at the Vulcans warily, "Are you saying you wouldn't lend assistance if something went wrong?" He didn't often get angry, but he was about to lose his cool.

Soval inclined his head slightly when he detected the tension in the room rise from his comment. "That is not what I said. We would, of course, offer our assistance." he tried to placate the humans. _Why could the humans not understand that they were not ready to encounter other species? The rest of the space faring worlds certainly would not be pleased with the humans traipsing through their territory and stirring up trouble. _Soval reigned in his thoughts.

Admiral Davis frowned, "I bet you'll help us - along with an 'I told you so" to boot." he shook his head and looked at Forrest.

Admiral Forrest gave Davis a look that told him to drop it. Forrest glanced at the Vulcans, "Thank you for the help you have provided." He stood up and the rest of the Starfleet officers followed suit.

Ambassador Soval raised his eyebrow in question as he stood up. He had not expected this meeting to be so brief. "We were expecting to go over the current missions." he pointed out.

Forrest nodded, "Yes, well - you have our reports, no doubt you've already read them." he turned to leave.

Soval watched the other humans as they followed Forrest's lead and left the room. _It was not so long ago that the humans actually asked for and listened to the Vulcan's advice. _He turned to his counterparts, "That did not go as expected." he stated. "We will have to re-evaluate our approach." He glanced at their guard, "Find out why Admiral Forrest now has personal security."

The Vulcan guard nodded, then opened his communicator and made inquiries.

Admiral Forrest frowned as he quickened his pace to his office. He stepped into his office and immediately went to the window and looked out at the Bay bridge. He tried to calm his anger by taking slow, deep breaths. _With every turn, the Vulcans were trying to impede the launching of the Enterprise! It was always something. _He glanced down below his window and noted a white box attached to the wall. He opened the lid and shook his head. _A rope ladder. _He frowned, _what good would the rope ladder do, since the window didn't open? _He closed the lid.

"Windows can be broken, in an emergency." Donovan explained from the door.

He turned slowly and looked at her, "Is this really necessary?"

She gave a small shrug, "You'll thank me if I have to break that window to get you out of here. If I didn't have the rope ladder installed, my option was to hurl you out the window. We are on the third floor - you'd survive the fall, but you would undoubtedly have some broken bones." she pointed out the alternative.

He smiled softly at her attempt to ease his tension with this whole confounded situation. "Thanks for the ladder." He sat down in his chair. "What was your impression of the Vulcans?" he questioned.

Donovan clasped her hands behind her back, "I believe they are apprehensive about Starfleet getting out from under their control." she stated.

He leaned back in his chair and watched her carefully. "You are the first person that has said that out loud to me."

She inclined her head slightly, "I'm sure I'm not the only person that has come to that same conclusion."

He nodded. He wanted her insight. She had been a double major at Stanford - Military Sciences and Interplanetary Relations. He knew that she had focused many of her studies on the Vulcans. "Why do you think they are still trying to hold back our space programs?" he asked her.

She glanced out into the outer office to make sure no one was within earshot. "They are scared." she shrugged.

He frowned and leaned forward, "Why?"

"You realized all that humans have accomplished over the past hundred years, right? Imagine where we'll be in a hundred more. _That_ is why they are scared." she explained.

He shook his head, "They can't be scared, they don't allow emotions to influence them." he pointed out.

"Nevertheless, they do have emotions - they've just learned to suppress them. But the emotions are still there, I know that much. They were taken aback when you just left the meeting. I'm sure they will try a different angle the next time you meet with them." she smiled softly. She had researched Ambassador Soval's negotiation tactics and listened to his lectures enough to gauge his next move.

"So, what do you think they'll come up with?" he reached in his desk drawer and pulled out the antacids and took two of them.

She thought quickly over the possibilities, then nodded to herself when she realized what they would say. "Your safety, and the safety of the Enterprise and the crew on board during the testing of the engines. They will determine why I am here and they will logically argue that it would be prudent to wait until the threat has been dealt with."

He sighed and swiveled his chair around to look out the window. _ He didn't want the crew or the program to be harmed. _He startled when she materialized beside the window, just a few feet from him. He hadn't even heard her move from the door.

She handed him a PADD. "I have taken the liberty of detailing some precautions that could be implemented to ensure that there are no destructive devices on the Enterprise for the testing of the Warp Engines."

He read over the information carefully. He nodded slowly when he finished reading, "Please forward this to me and Commander Williams. We'll go over it when he comes back."

Donovan nodded. She sent the information to them and put her PADD back in her vest, then went back to her post at the door.

Maxwell Forrest watched the young MACO's reflection in the glass. He would have to talk to General Casey about his prodigy. Her skills and insight were not being utilized to their potential, she should be planning operations.

Donovan glanced inside the Admiral's office again as she saw him start to gather his work to take home. She indicated for Lt. O'Dell to call for the shuttle.

"Team Two to Donovan." came an interruption to her thoughts.

She touched the implant behind her ear, and stepped a few feet further into the outer office. "Donovan here, go ahead." she directed.

"Ma'am, we've finished setting up the motion sensors outside the Admiral's house. Do you want us to begin setting up the inside monitors?" Corporal Tinner inquired.

She glanced at the hour and the Admiral's movements. "No, you can complete the inside sensors tomorrow after the Admiral goes to work. I'll stay tonight. Have Buchanan relieve me at 0500 and have Torres bring the gym bag from my locker to the Admiral's house when he reports for duty tonight. Did everything go well today?" she questioned him.

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll wait for you and set up your PADD to monitor the sensors." he relayed.

"Very well. We should be there shortly." she signed off and pulled out her PADD as the information of Admiral's pilot for the evening came in. She quickly read over Ensign Pulley's record, then put the PADD up as the Admiral and Commander approached.

Commander Williams smiled softly, "You have some very interesting suggestions." he stated.

She took it as a compliment and nodded. She turned to the Admiral, "The shuttle is on its way, Sir."

He nodded and looked as his Aide came over and handed him a PADD to sign, "What am I signing?" he questioned.

The Lieutenant smiled softly, "Just the paperwork for my leave in two weeks, Admiral."

Forrest smiled, "Glad to see you're finally going to have a vacation with your family." he quickly signed off on the orders. "Go home, we've got a busy day tomorrow." he directed the young officer.

"Yes, Sir - I'm just wrapping things up." O'Dell went back to his desk.

Forrest looked at Williams, "You too, Commander."

Williams nodded, "Have a good evening, Sir."

Forrest waved for Donovan to lead the way.

Lt. Donovan secured the front door to the Admiral's house after she got the pass down from Corporal Tinner, then he had linked the motion sensors to one of her PADDs and handed off her gym bag. She walked back into the living room and took in a deep breath, something smelled wonderful. She walked into the kitchen and smiled. The Admiral had taken off his blazer and rolled up his sleeves and was cooking spaghetti.

He smiled when he saw her, "Grab a plate, it's ready."

"You don't have to feed me, Admiral - but I really do appreciate it." she smiled softly as she picked up a plate.

He put a helping of noodles and sauce on her plate and indicated for her to sit down at the table as he got his plate. "What did you manage to have for lunch today while you were typing up that proposal? A protein bar? You were only gone for thirty minutes." he indicated. He brought over the water pitcher and filled their glasses, then sat down.

"Yes, Sir." she nodded and placed her napkin in her lap. She hadn't realized that he'd noticed how long she'd been gone.

"I thought as much." he indicated for her to start eating. "When will your relief be coming tonight?"

"Actually, I will be staying tonight. My relief will be here at 0500." She saw him about to protest and quickly explained. "Sir, we don't have the internal motion sensors installed yet - it will be done first thing in the morning. I thought it was best that I stay so your home is not encroached by anyone you don't know. Once the internal sensor are activated, I will have a team nearby - just in case they're needed."

He frowned, "You will sleep tonight - right?" he questioned.

"Yes, Sir. After you turn in, I will sleep on the couch - if that's okay?" she asked.

"Of course." he nodded. "I can't have a sleep deprived guard." he smiled and continued to eat.

"Thank you for cooking dinner, it's very good."

"When was the last time someone cooked for you?" he asked, then he quickly shook his hand. "You don't need to answer that , it's none of my business."

"My father likes to cook when he's home, it's been five months." she shrugged and sipped her water.

He nodded, "Have you heard from your dad?"

"He's in New Zealand. You know how he is, he gets wrapped up in his research. No news is good news - right?" she said softly.

He frowned slightly, "He said he hadn't heard from you since you were at the Mars Training facility - that was four months ago." he pointed out.

She raised an eyebrow, "You've spoken to him?" She really didn't want to have this conversation - especially not with the man she was protecting, but she should have guessed that this would come up since the Admiral and her father were friends.

"I spoke to him while you were at lunch." he stated.

She sighed softly, "He's still disappointed that I didn't choose Starfleet." She shrugged slightly and continued to eat. Her stomach started to tighten. She knew he would be disappointed when she choose the MACOs, but they really were the best fit for her. She hated to disappoint him, he had always supported all of her endeavors. He had provided a rich and varied education when he had taken her on all of his scientific expeditions when she was growing up.

Maxwell Forrest smiled softly, "He may still be slightly disappointed that you didn't go into Starfleet, but he's very proud of you and would really like to hear from you." he relayed the message.

She nodded and breathed a small sigh of relief. "When this assignment is over, I will contact him." she promised.

He smiled and stood up and took his plate to the sink, then he started a pot of coffee.

She finished and brought her plate over to the sink. "Thank you again."

He nodded and poured two cups of coffee and handed her one of them. "I have a few reports to read before I turn in."

"I need to type a few." she sipped the coffee and smiled.

He walked with her back to the living room and pulled out a blanket from the cabinet and set it on the edge of the couch. "You promise you'll get to sleep?"

She set the coffee cup down on the table, "Yes, Sir - after I've finished my reports and you've turned in." she reassured him.

He nodded once more, "I'll be in my study, if you need anything."

"I'm sure I will be fine." she stated. She watched as he headed down the hall. She opened her gym bag and pulled out three more PADDs and set them down on the table, then pulled out the one from her vest. She activated one to monitor the outside motion sensors, then she started her daily report to Harris.

A couple of hours later, she heard the Admiral head to his bedroom. She had just finished going over the next two days itinerary and felt good about the plans she had sent out to her squad. She took off her extra gear, then unfolded the blanket and turned out the lamp. She stretched out on the couch and turned on her side. She watched the motion sensor's radar sweep on the PADD monitor. She sighed softly and closed her eyes. _Not bad for the first day. _She felt herself drifting to sleep as she conscientiously slowed her breathing.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

This story is actually a flashback of a much bigger story I'm in the process of writing.

Thank you to LoyaulteMeLie and Hummingbird2 for leaving reviews.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 4

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan quickly made her way into Starfleet Headquarters as she adjusted the pack over her left shoulder. She checked the time, then took the stairs up to the third floor. _Ten minutes to spare._ She didn't like cutting it so close, but she had to put her extra change of clothes into her pack for tonight's dinner shindig. She had gone to the MACO facility as soon as she had left the Admiral's office and had conducted the morning physical training for her squad, then headed home and quickly showered and changed. She'd met Harris at one of the coffee shops that she usually didn't frequent and they went over the report she had submitted last night and today's scheduled activities.

She nodded to Lt. O'Dell as she stepped into the office and placed her pack in one of the secured lockers that actually looked like the rest of the wooden panels around the room. Yesterday, Lt. O'Dell had explained to her that the Admiral had spare uniforms he kept in some of the other lockers, just in case he got called to an unscheduled meeting, or if his uniform got messed up in the course of the day.

Lt. O'Dell smiled as she walked over to his desk, "I wasn't sure if you'd beat him into the office this morning." he admitted to her.

"His shuttle left his house four minutes ago." she stated and looked at the framed picture of his family on his desk. "Nice family." she indicated. His wife looked to be his same age and they had two small children.

"I'm really looking forward to my leave. I'll get to spend some quality time with the boys." he nodded.

"How old are they?" she questioned.

"Jason is four and Tyler is two. They're a handful - at least that's what my wife keeps telling me." he shrugged and leaned back in his chair.

"How long have you two been married?" she asked as she checked her uniform once more as she got word over her communication implant that the Admiral had arrived to Starfleet Headquarters.

"Almost five years, hence the leave coming up." he smiled.

She watched him carefully and wondered why he and his wife weren't celebrating their anniversary alone. But, then again, maybe they were going to _and_ spend time with the kids, too. She wondered what his wife had done before they had gotten married and if the woman was still happy staying at home with the boys. She'd have to talk to him again later, when she could find the time. She turned to the door as the Admiral and Corporal Buchannan came in.

The Admiral nodded and headed straight into his office and he was joined shortly by Commander Williams.

Donovan turned to Buchannan, "Anything out of the ordinary?" she questioned him as they stepped away from O'Dell's hearing.

"The Admiral received a call during the flight here, he seemed anxious afterwards." Buchannan explained.

Donovan pulled out her PADD, "I have a few things for you to check out this morning. Report back to me at 1200." she directed as she sent the information to his PADD.

"Aye, Ma'am." he nodded, then quickly left.

Donovan walked over to the Admiral's door and knocked, "Anything I should be concerned about?" she asked them.

Williams waved her in, "We had Security start to implement the precautions you outlined and they've found two devices on the Enterprise in relays that would have been triggered by the Warp Engine at testing. How did you know what to have them look for?" he shook his head.

"The material I specified for them to look for is something found commonly in engineering, so it wouldn't have set off any alarms when it had gone through security scanning, but, coupled with the other compounds I listed - they are a feature of explosives that have been used before in high security areas." she pointed out.

Forrest was running his hand over his face, "If you hadn't come up with those precautions, we probably wouldn't have found them in time. I have security going over the Enterprise again with a fine tooth comb." he stated as he quickly opened his drawer and popped a few antacids. "We need to go up to the Enterprise and speak to Captain Archer and smooth over this mess."

Williams nodded and quickly left to have the shuttle come in an hour, then he went over the Admiral's schedule with O'Dell to shift a few appointments around.

Donovan looked at the Admiral as she went over to the window, "I take it that Security and the Chief Engineer are going over all of the logs?" she inquired.

Forrest nodded, "I want you to work with Commander Tucker when we get up there." He turned back to her, "Do you have any other suggestions?" he asked for her input.

"I'll need to see the schematics for the Enterprise." she pointed out. She had tried to access the schematics last night, but she didn't have the clearance.

Williams walked in and quickly updated both of their PADDs with the latest schedule changes.

"Get her access to the Enterprise schematics." the Admiral directed, then sat down at his desk to go over his schedule.

Williams quickly pulled up the authorization on his PADD and typed in the clearance code. "You can use the monitor in here." he walked her over to the wall monitor and activated it and pulled up the schematics. He quickly zoomed in on Engineering. "The two devices were found here, and here." he indicated.

She nodded and started to go over the systems in those areas.

Williams went back to the Admiral and they discussed the changes to his schedule.

They had just stepped out of the Admiral's office when Ambassador Soval and two other Vulcans came around the corner.

Admiral Forrest looked at the Vulcan Ambassador, "Good morning, Ambassador Soval. I don't believe we have an appointment." he stated.

Ambassador Soval glanced around the busy corridor, "Perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere." he suggested.

Forrest glanced at his watch, then indicated the waiting room.

Soval's eyes were unblinking, "You should have told us that there were threats against your life." he pointed out.

Admiral Forrest didn't feel like spending any more time than he needed to with the Ambassador today. "It's a Starfleet matter."

Soval's eyebrows raised, "There are still Vulcans supervising the Warp Five Program, you do not feel it necessary to tell us of security concerns?" he questioned.

"There are always risks. They may leave, if you are worried about their safety." the Admiral suggested.

Soval looked at Donovan. When he had meditated last night, he had remembered where he had met her before. She had attended many of his lectures a few years ago. Her questions had been very complex and he had been surprised that she had known so many details of the treaties he had been a part of writing. "You are in complete charge of the Admiral's Security?" he inquired.

"Yes, Ambassador." she nodded.

Soval turned to Forrest, "You should delay the testing of the Warp Engines." he recommended.

Forrest sighed softly and shook his head, "We will proceed as scheduled. Thank you for your concern, Ambassador." He took the lead and started walking down the hall.

Soval watched as the humans walked away from him for the second day in a row. Perhaps it wasn't the approach he needed to change, perhaps he just wasn't talking to the right person. He quickly spoke to his Aide.

Donovan cocked her head as she heard the Ambassador mention something about the dinner tonight. Her group was walking away too quickly for her to hear the rest of the conversation. She focused on stepping out of the building first and heading to the shuttle. She quickly assessed the tall, dark, well built pilot waiting outside the shuttle for them. He grinned as they approached.

Donovan frowned, _why was he smiling like that?_ She gently eased her hand near her pistol as they approached.

"Ensign Mayweather!" Admiral Forrest called and walked directly to the young pilot and shook his hand. Forrest turned to Donovan, "Travis is our first Boomer in Starfleet, flew circles around his instructors at the Training Center." he smiled proudly.

Kaitlyn Donovan nodded to the Ensign and removed her hand from her weapon, "Nice to meet you, Ensign." She indicated the shuttle, "This was inspected before you left the hanger, correct?" she asked him.

He nodded quickly, "Yes, Ma'am - twice today. Guess it's because we're going up to the Enterprise." he grinned again. He could hardly wait to get up there and see the ship first hand.

They quickly boarded and Ensign Mayweather started the engines and went through the start up sequence.

The Admiral smiled, glad the young man had finally pulled this shuttle rotation. "How long will you be my pilot?" he asked.

"Probably only two weeks, Sir. They like to shuffle us around." Mayweather said as he expertly flew the shuttle up and headed for the dock yards above Earth where the Enterprise was being built.

Lt. Donovan pulled out a small plastic bag that held a metal disk the size of a coin, then handed it to the Admiral.

He accepted it and turned it over in his fingers, "What is it?" he questioned.

"A panic button. If you find yourself in a precarious situation, press the button." she directed.

Forrest frowned, "What if I accidently push it? This plastic isn't very thick." he indicated.

"It will only activate when it comes in contact with your skin, it won't activate through the bag." she explained. "Besides, I'd rather you accidently set it off, then to not push it when you need to."

He looked at the small object again, then placed it in his pocket. He looked at Commander Williams. The man looked more concerned than usual. "What's wrong, Commander?"

Williams frowned, "Perhaps the Vulcans are right. Maybe we should delay the testing." He didn't want to side with the Vulcans, but he didn't want this whole project blowing up in their faces, either.

Admiral Forrest looked out the front window of the shuttle. _He had contemplated that same thought a few minutes ago. _"If we delay the testing, it will just give these people more time to try and sabotage the program. There is a better chance for us to capture them now - am I right?" he turned to Donovan.

"Yes, Sir. They will be on the offense and we will have the upper hand. They are more likely to make a mistake, which will allow me to apprehend them quickly." she agreed with his assessment.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

This story is actually a flashback of a much bigger story I'm in the process of writing.

Thank you to LoyaulteMeLie and Hummingbird2 for leaving reviews.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 5

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan looked at the timer on the bomb as the seconds ticked off. _Less than two minutes._ She desperately tried to recall in her mind anything she could on a design like this - but she'd never seen anything like it. She looked at the wires in the panel. _When in doubt, pull them out._ She grabbed all of the wires and yanked. The timer stopped. She started to breathe a sigh of relief, then the explosion threw her across the room.

Kaitlyn jolted and hit the back of her head against the shuttle wall. She looked around quickly to re-orient herself.

Commander Williams turned in his chair and looked concerned, "Are you okay, Lt?" he asked, wondering what the loud thump was that he'd heard.

She waved him off, "I'm fine."

He nodded slowly and turned back to the conversation between the Admiral and the pilot.

Kaitlyn glanced down at the PADD in her hand and the drawing of the bomb on the screen. She took deep breaths to slow down her racing heartbeat. She often got these flashes of events that could happen. _That was how she knew what type of bomb to have the security teams look for._ She'd never told anyone about these flashes, or any of the other things she could do. _It was too dangerous._ She certainly didn't need a medical team poking around her mind to determine how or why she had these abilities. She closed her eyes tightly and pinched her brow. She needed to focus on the task at hand - not be blindsided by more flashes. She looked up and saw the Enterprise coming into view. She got up and stepped closer to the men.

Ensign Mayweather grinned, "Beautiful, isn't she?"

She nodded as they approached the ship in the docking yard.

"HQ Shuttle One to Enterprise, permission to dock." Mayweather requested.

"HQ Shuttle One, permission granted. Launch Bay One is standing by." came the quick reply.

The Ensign quickly took the shuttle around and came under the launch bay doors. The shuttle docking arm came down and attached to the shuttle and pulled it in.

The young pilot went through the shut down procedures as the launch bay was pressurized. When the light on the wall turned green, he walked over and opened the shuttle hatch and stepped out. He grinned again as he looked around the launch bay. "Wow." he said softly.

Donovan quickly got out of the shuttle and watched as the Captain came through the door.

Admiral Forrest smiled as the man approached, "Jon, the ship is looking good." he shook the man's hand.

Captain Jonathan Archer smiled softly, "It's good to see you, Admiral." he nodded. He turned to Commander Williams and shook his hand, "You too, Commander."

Forrest made the introductions, "Captain Archer, this is Lt. Donovan and this is Ensign Mayweather."

Archer's green eyes brightened momentarily as he shook the Ensign's hand, "So, you're the Boomer the Admiral has been talking nonstop about."

The young Ensign grinned, "I hope he's been saying good things, Sir."

"Of course." Archer nodded. He turned to Donovan, "I haven't seen too many female MACOs." he admitted and stretched out his hand.

She watched him carefully as she shook his hand and could feel his tension over the current situation. "We are a rare breed, Captain." she smiled softly and felt his mood lighten slightly.

Archer smiled, "I think my Chief Engineer would like to speak to you, Lt." He waved for them to come with him.

Donovan turned to Ensign Mayweather, "I need you to stay with the shuttle. Don't let anyone near it - got it?"

Mayweather nodded quickly.

"If someone tries to tell you they have authorization, contact me immediately. If you have to leave your post, contact me. This shuttle is your responsibility, do you understand, Ensign?" she asked him firmly for confirmation.

"Yes, Ma'am. I won't let anyone near the Admiral's shuttle." he stood up straighter.

Her eyes softened slightly, "I'm sorry you won't be getting the tour today, I know you were looking forward to it."

"That's okay, Ma'am. Another day." he nodded and went and stood his post by the shuttle door.

Donovan turned and caught up with the men as they went through the hatch to the corridor. They walked quickly to Engineering.

She looked up at the Warp Engine as they entered. At the moment, the Engine was silent and the only thing to be heard was the movement of the crew as they worked on various stations in Engineering. She spotted Commander Charles Tucker the Third as he came down the ladder from the upper deck.

The man's grin was contagious. "Admiral, Commander." he shook their hands. He turned to her, "Are you the one I have to thank for those security protocols?" he asked.

Donovan nodded, "Yes, Commander. I'd like to see where the devices were found." she stated.

Admiral Forrest looked at Tucker, "How many of the crew know what was found?" he questioned quietly.

"Just me, the two Security officers that found them, the Captain, and the Ordinance officer that came and disabled the things and took'em away." Tucker explained.

Forrest nodded, "Let's keep it that way." He looked at each of them for confirmation that they would keep this to themselves. He watched as they all nodded in agreement. "Donovan, do what you need to here in Engineering."

She stepped closer to the Admiral, "My first duty is to protect you." she reminded him.

"I'll be fine." he tried to reassure her.

She glanced at Commander Williams, "You'll contact me if anything happens?"

Williams patted her arm, "I'll watch over him, you do what you need to here." he indicated the engine.

Donovan nodded and watched the three men leave. She turned to Tucker, "Lead the way, Sir."

Tucker took her around the corner of the Warp Drive and opened a panel, "Here's where one of the devices was, it was back behind some of this wiring." he showed her by moving some of the wires out of the way. He watched as she studied the relays.

"Commander Tucker, when was the last time someone was working in this panel?" she asked quietly.

He pulled out his PADD, "Last month, we had to replace the length of one of the wires because it had burnt out. Look, we keep this place under lock and key - I don't understand how anyone could have gotten in and put these two devices in here." he shook his head and frowned as he replaced the panel.

"We are obviously looking for someone that has the clearance to come here and work in Engineering. How many sub contractors are allowed on board?" she questioned as he led her to the other side of the engine and took off another panel.

"Seven contractors, then there are twenty-three engineers from the Warp Five Program, and the eight of us that are already stationed on board." Tucker explained and indicated the spot where the device had been in this panel. "How did you know what to have them look for?" he asked.

She turned to him slowly, "I've studied the types of bombs that have gone off in highly secured areas and had them look for those components." she stated. "Commander, I'd like for you to try and identify an area by looking at a drawing." she pulled out her PADD and showed him the drawing.

His eyes grew bigger, "It's another bomb!" he hissed.

She touched his arm to get him to focus, "I need you to concentrate on the area around it - I can't identify the system it's attached to." she said quietly.

Tucker analyzed the drawing, then he cursed when he realized what it was. "It's the matter-anti-matter assembly." He ran his hand through his hair and put the panel back on and headed to the system.

He opened the panel gently, then smiled and sighed softly - _there was no bomb inside._ He glanced curiously at Donovan, "Where did you get that from?"

She shook her head, "It doesn't matter. Commander, I want you to check this area daily and take note who works on this panel. If the bomb shows up, at least we'll have a better idea of who put it there. If it doesn't show up, then we know that the new security protocols did what they were supposed to do." she pointed out to him.

Tucker closed the panel and leaned back against it, "Are you sure you're just the Admiral's personal security?" he asked as he studied the young woman.

Donovan smiled softly, "That is the duty I am assigned currently - but I am trained in all things MACO."

Tucker chuckled, "And, what exactly, does that entail?"

"Hand to hand combat, ground warfare tactics, a plethora of small arms training, explosives, survival and rescue training - those types of things, Commander." she stated.

He grinned, "Remind me to stay on your good side." He looked around the room, "Is there anything else you need?"

She thought for a moment, "Who was the Ordinance Officer that came and removed the devices?" she asked.

"A Lt. Reed, he works out of the Weapons' Complex." Tucker explained. "He was a very serious sort of fellow, not much of a conversationalist."

"Well, he does have a serious job, Commander." Donovan pointed out.

Tucker nodded and led her out of Engineering and took her up to the Bridge. They headed across to the Captain's Ready Room.

"Come in." Archer called.

They stepped in and nodded to the group of men.

"Did you see what you needed to, Lt.?" the Admiral asked her.

"Yes, and I told Commander Tucker what to be on the lookout for." she said.

Archer sighed softly, "This latest security breach has us baffled. It's not like just anybody can stroll on board, and everyone that can come aboard has been cleared by Starfleet Security."

Commander Williams nodded, "We're having Security double check everyone again. We'll find out who did this, Captain." he promised.

The Captain nodded, "I know you will." He wanted to believe that the perpetrator would be caught and brought to justice. Archer was proud that he had been chosen to Captain the first ship powered by his father's engine and he certainly didn't want the mission to fail. Earth had a lot riding on its first Warp Five vessel.

Captain Archer walked them to the Launch Bay as Commander Tucker went back to Engineering. He glanced back to Donovan as they got off the turbolift, "I want to thank you again for those security protocols."

"My duty and honor, Sir." she smiled softly.

Archer returned her smile and spoke to Forrest and Williams as she walked over to Mayweather.

"Anything to report, Ensign?" she asked him.

He shook his head, "No Ma'am, everyone stayed away from the Admiral's shuttle."

She smiled softly and patted the young man's arm, "No offense, Ensign - but even if someone had authorization, I'm sure they would hesitate before trying to get past you."

He accepted the compliment from the MACO and grinned, "Thank you, Ma'am."

She glanced back and saw the men were still in deep conversation and decided she needed to brief him on the current situation. "Ensign, the reason I've been assigned to the Admiral is because there has been a threat to his life. That's why the shuttle must be inspected and we must ensure that no unauthorized personnel get near it. Even if someone has authorization, I want you to watch them like a hawk. Will you do that?" she asked him.

He nodded quickly, "Yes, Ma'am. The Admiral's the reason I even got through the first step to get into Starfleet. I didn't exactly have all of the papers a person raised on a planet would have." He looked at Admiral Forrest, then back to her. "I will keep him safe on the shuttle, you have my word."

She nodded to the Ensign as the men approached the shuttle.

"See you tonight, Admiral." Archer smiled, then shook the Admiral's hand. He turned and left the Launch Bay as they climbed in the shuttle.

The Admiral sat down in his seat as Mayweather started the shuttle, "I'm sorry you didn't get to look around, Travis. I'll make sure you get up here again."

Travis Mayweather smiled brightly, "Thank you, Sir." He quickly turned his attention back to his job.

Forrest turned his chair around to Donovan, "Did you learn anything that will help out the investigation?" he inquired.

She pulled out her PADD, "Yes, Sir. I got the names of everyone authorized to come into Engineering and when and where they were working the past month. I know you have Starfleet Security looking into them, but I don't think it would hurt to have another set of eyes going over them, do you?" she asked.

"You do what you need to. We may find out this person has had help from an insider in Security. No one is above suspicion, are we clear?" he questioned her.

"I understand, Sir." she agreed. She was glad he thought that way, because she already had people looking into everyone's recent movements.

Lt. Donovan looked to the door as Buchannan came in just a few minutes before noon. She nodded for him to report his findings.

"I reviewed the footage from the monitor you put in the Admiral's office earlier this morning, you need to see it for yourself." he handed her the PADD and she watched the footage.

She had installed the monitor in the office ten minutes after she'd left the Admiral's house this morning. She'd had a bad feeling about how unsecure his office was, she was especially concerned with how often he just reached into his desk and popped some of the medicines he had in his top drawer. She watched the screen as Lt. O'Dell entered the Admiral's office at 0715. He went to the Admiral's desk and turned on the monitor and synched up his PADD to upload the latest schedule. He then pulled another PADD from his jacket and downloaded other information from the Admiral's computer. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at O'Dell as he typed away on a report at his desk. "Send this to my PADD. Stay here and stand watch. If anyone asks, tell them O'Dell got sick and I've taken him to the infirmary." she directed.

Buchannan nodded and took his post by the Admiral's door.

Donovan activated her communication implant and gave a quick order as she walked over to O'Dell.

Lt. O'Dell looked up and smiled at her, "Did you enjoy your trip to the Enterprise?" he asked.

Donovan grabbed a hold of his arm, "Transport now." she ordered and the two of them were quickly dematerialized.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

This story is actually a flashback of a much bigger story I'm in the process of writing.

Thank you to LoyaulteMeLie and Hummingbird2 for leaving reviews.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 6

Lt. O'Dell looked around the small room in a panic. He'd been taken by surprise when Donovan had grabbed hold of his arm and they'd been transported - right from the office! He was sitting in a metal chair, at a metal table. He took it as a good sign that he wasn't restrained. He bit his lower lip, _what had they found out?_ He'd just have to wait and see. _Don't panic_, he reminded himself. He was careful, _he'd always been careful_. He looked up quickly as the door opened and Lt. Donovan came in.

Lt. Donovan watched the man carefully, wondering why he'd betrayed Starfleet. First, she'd have to find out what information he'd been supplying, and to whom he'd supplied the information. "Tell me, Jerry - what will your family think when you don't come home tonight?" she asked as she sat down in the other chair and leaned forward.

Jerry O'Dell sat back, he hadn't expected her to ask that. "I have a right to legal counsel, and I want counsel now." he stated and tried to remain calm.

She shrugged, "It's too bad that legal counsel doesn't know where to find you, Jerry. We're on private property, hence this private conversation. I've brought you here so that you can tell me what you've been up to that's not legal. Maybe we can work something out." she offered no promises.

"You can't hold me here!" he jumped out of the chair and started to pace.

Donovan stood up slowly, "Jerry, take a seat before I have to do something you won't like." she stated evenly.

Jerry stopped at her tone of voice. It was cold and made a chill run up his spine. He looked at her and estimated that she would make him regret it if he didn't hurry up and sit back down. He sank into the seat, but remained tight lipped.

She pulled out her PADD and clicked on the icon and showed him the image of himself downloading information this morning. "Would you care to explain your actions, Jerry?"

"I often have to download information from the Admiral's computer, so that I can type detailed reports." he stated.

She nodded, then pulled out his PADD from the other side of her vest, "That's true, Jerry. But when do the schematics of the Warp Engine on the Enterprise have anything to do with your reports? You know that information is classified, Jerry." she pointed out.

He frowned, but said nothing.

Lt. Donovan realized that it was going to take more than a little push to get O'Dell to open up. "Give me your hand, Jerry." she requested and reached her hand, palm side up across the table.

He looked at her skeptically, "Why?"

"Truthfully, Jerry - I don't have the patience to wait for you to spill the beans on everything you know. It will only take me a moment to know your guilt or innocence. My boss will be here soon, and he will want answers. Give me your hand, Jerry. I promise this won't hurt." she explained honestly.

He reached out his hand slowly, not exactly sure what she was about to do to him. He placed his hand on hers and she closed her hand around his. He looked in her eyes and realized he couldn't look away. His eyes widened as he felt something brush over his mind. He opened his mouth to protest, but he couldn't speak.

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan sifted through Jerry's mind quickly. The man he was getting the information for was a Commander Keppler in Starfleet Security. Jerry had given him schematics of the Enterprise, along with all of the information on key personnel attached to the Warp Five Program and the Enterprise. He'd also given Keppler the Admiral's itinerary. She frowned as she found out why he'd betrayed Starfleet. She pulled back, "Sleep, Jerry." she whispered. He laid his head down on the table and closed his eyes. She sat back and began writing her report quickly with all that she'd learned.

Harris watched as Donovan talked to Jerry O'Dell. His jaw dropped when she took Jerry's hand. _Damn, she could read minds!_ His mind reeled with possibilities. _How did she get this ability?_ _Had she ever used it on anyone else? _A thought stopped him in his tracks, _had she ever read his mind? _He had to decide quickly how to get the upper hand in this new development. She obviously hadn't expected him to arrive here this quickly, or she wouldn't have proceeded.

Kaitlyn Donovan looked back at the one way mirrored glass, "You can come in, Harris." she sighed softly.

Harris stepped back, _how did she know? _He took a deep breath and went into the other room, "What did you do to him?" he questioned.

She looked up slowly to Harris, "He's asleep, he'll be fine." she stood up and sent her report to his PADD. "We need to follow this Commander Keppler and find out who he's working for." she stated. "Keppler is using O'Dell. If certain events hadn't happened recently, I don't think he would have ever betrayed Starfleet." she said softly as she watched the man sleep.

"I don't feel comfortable talking here, he could subconsciously remember after he wakes up." Harris pointed out and moved to the door.

She decided to bite the bullet. She'd felt Harris' presence in the next room after she'd read Jerry's mind. _He already knew what she could do._ She had to trust him, though she knew good and well that he would call upon her to use her abilities when he needed them. "He won't remember anything that I don't want him to remember." she explained. She studied him carefully, "I see this as a make or break situation. Either you will trust me and I will continue to help you, or you will try to exploit my abilities -to which you will not like the results."

He crossed his arms, "Are you threatening me?" he asked.

She took a calming breath, "No. But my abilities will not be exploited - are we agreed?"

He raised his eyebrow, "What do you suggest we do with him? He's a traitor."

"You didn't answer my question." she stated firmly.

Harris shrugged, "My answer will be based on what you recommend." _ He wanted to see what she was willing to do, how far she was willing to go._

She looked at O'Dell and made her decision carefully, "We send him back to work with no memory of him being caught. We put false information on the Admiral's computer and let him continue to supply the information to Keppler. We complete a 360 of Keppler and monitor him and find out who he is passing the information to. When this is over, the evidence collected will be enough for them to be dealt with however Starfleet deems fitting." she explained.

He watched her carefully, "You'd do this, to protect Starfleet?"

"This isn't just about protecting Starfleet, Harris." She shook her head, "He's been going to Terra Prime rallies."

Harris looked at the sleeping man in surprise, there was nothing in his files that indicated he could be swayed by those xenophobes. "How did that happen?" he questioned her quickly.

She raised her hand, "I'd rather not say right now, or else it could jeopardize what we need him to do. I will tell you later." she promised him. She raised her eyebrow, still waiting for him to answer her question.

"I trust that you know when, and who, to use your abilities on - as long as you don't give me any reason to doubt you, we'll keep this between us." Harris gave his answer.

She nodded slowly. _That was as good of an answer as she could hope to get from him._ "Now, if you can transport us to the medical facility and find me an agreeable doctor, I can send Jerry on his way and be back to quickly change for this dinner party tonight."

Harris quickly called for two guards to help get Jerry O'Dell to the transporter room.

xxxxx

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan watched as Lt. Jerry O'Dell started to wake up on the hospital bed. She smiled softly as he opened his eyes and looked momentarily confused.

Jerry O'Dell looked at Donovan and tried to smile, "I didn't think I was that sick." he admitted to her as he vividly remembered getting sick on the way over in the shuttle.

She nodded, "I'm sure the pilot was not pleased. What did you say you had for lunch?" she asked, wanting to make sure the memories she'd placed had taken hold.

"Ugh, I'll never eat another tuna sandwich again." he turned slightly green as he remembered how sick he'd gotten. "Thanks for making sure I got here, I don't think I would have made it on my own accord."

"Not a problem, Lt. Would you like for me to see you home, or do you think you can make it?" she questioned him.

His eyes widened as he sat up, "The dinner party tonight! Oh my, I had a report to finish this afternoon that I was working on. I've got to get back to the office." he quickly got off the bed.

"Admiral Forrest said to go home and get some rest, and that the report can wait until morning." she relayed the message.

Lt. O'Dell breathed a sigh of relief. Truth be told, he was feeling really puny at the moment. "Thank you again for your help. I can make it home on my own. Tell the Admiral I'll be back at work tomorrow morning."

Donovan smiled, "I will tell him. If you'll excuse me, I have to hurry and go change. I'll tell you tomorrow if anything exciting happens at the party."

O'Dell smiled and watched her go. He looked up as a nurse came in.

"Here's the anti-nausea medication the doctor prescribed for you, Lt. Would you like for me to call you a cab?" she asked softly.

O'Dell shook his head, "No, thanks." He quickly put on his uniform jacket and put the pills in his pocket, then headed out.

xxxxx

1800 - Starfleet Officer's Club

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan surveyed the room of Starfleet Officers and a smattering of other off-world dignitaries, including Ambassador Soval and his entourage. She had left the Admiral's table to gain a better vantage point of everyone present. The mood was festive, everyone present had some part in the Warp Five Program or in building the Enterprise itself. Tonight was a dinner to celebrate all that had been accomplished thus far, and to gear up for the testing of the Warp Engine next week. She watched as Captain Archer and Commander Tucker arrived and were greeted by many of the other guests. She couldn't help but note the few people that weren't pleased at their arrival. She kept an eye on one man in particular, that sat a few tables to her left that, if looks could kill, Archer would be good and dead. From his ranking, he was a Captain, but she couldn't place a name to his face. She smiled softly as the man looked in her direction.

He blinked, then smiled slowly back at her.

Commander Williams came up to her and raised an eyebrow at her little black velvet dress that left no imagination to how fit she kept herself, "I would have thought you would have worn your formal dress uniform tonight." he admitted.

She smiled slightly, "Sometimes, it's better to blend in." she pointed out.

He chuckled softly, "See anything out of the ordinary, Lt.?" he asked as he looked around the room and the dinner guests that were milling around and talking to one another before dinner was served.

"Yes." she nodded as he quickly looked back at her for an explanation.

"Do you know who the dark haired man is a few tables to my left? The one watching me with the smug look on his face?" she inquired.

The Commander gazed over the guests and spotted the man, he quickly turned to her as he frowned. "That's Captain Gardner." _He really didn't like the way the man was looking over the Lt._

Donovan nodded as she remembered where she'd heard of the man. She smiled back at Gardner, then looked at Williams' slyly. "When he asks you who I am, tell him only my name - not my rank or anything else." she said softly.

Williams' brows furrowed, "Why would he ask me about you?"

"Because you are the only man I've talked to this evening, and you are going to go get me a drink. He will intercept you at the bar." she predicted.

"Aren't you on duty?" he questioned.

She smiled and laughed softly and patted the Commander's chest gently like he'd said something funny. "Yes, but he doesn't need to know that." She tilted her head slightly when the Commander was still showing reservations about doing what she'd asked him to do. "Wasn't Gardner the other officer in the running for the Captain's seat on the Enterprise?"

Commander Williams nodded, "But Archer was selected by the committee."

"At the recommendation of Admiral Forrest, right?" she raised an eyebrow.

He realized what she was getting at and shook his head, "Gardner wouldn't do this." he said firmly.

She shrugged, then smiled again. "Please get me that drink - non alcoholic, Commander."

Commander Williams left quickly and headed to the bar. _He wanted her to be wrong, he didn't want to start second guessing everyone around him. _

She touched her implant behind her ear and with a few clicks, notified the other two operatives present to watch over the Admiral. They clicked back their acknowledgement of her orders.

Donovan smiled softly as Gardner spoke to Williams at the bar. She really didn't like to have to play the cat and mouse game, but until they had a better understanding of everything surrounding this plot - she'd have to go along.

She watched as Gardner took her drink from the Commander and headed in her direction.

He smiled brightly as he approached, "Good evening, Miss Donovan, I'm Samuel Gardner." he introduced himself as he handed her the drink, then stretched out his hand.

Kaitlyn smiled and shook his hand. She could feel a wide range of emotions from him: smugness; attraction; intrigue; and confidence.

Instead of just shaking her hand, he kissed it and smiled devilishly at her.

She grinned, "Well, Sam, you have a very unique approach. I'm surprised that Commander Williams allowed you to take my drink and bring it over here."

He shrugged and returned her grin, "I pulled rank on him." he admitted.

She watched him and sipped her drink. He was a handsome enough fellow, though a bit too cocky for her taste. "Well now, that wasn't very nice of you." she pointed out.

"All's fair in love and war." Gardner quoted casually.

Donovan raised her eyebrow in question, "Is it really?"

He stepped closer to her, close enough for the sleeve of his jacket to rest against her arm. He waved to the sea of officers in the room, "Of course - and I'm sure almost everyone here feels that same way."

She looked down at the amber liquid in her glass, "The ends justify the means?" she asked softly as she contemplated what she had done just an hour ago. She looked back up at him.

"Yes." Gardner stated firmly. "When push comes to shove, a satisfactory end result in their favor is what Starfleet Command wants, and in return, they'll look the other way at how you achieved it." he shrugged.

"That conviction was hotly debated at Stanford." she continued to scan the crowd.

His grin widened, "So, you went to Stanford - what was your major?"

"Double major - Military Science and Interplanetary Relations." she smiled softly and watched for his reaction.

"Are you a member of Starfleet?" he asked softly and leaned closer.

"Nope." she sipped her drink.

Samuel Gardner pursed his lips, _she was very good at being evasive._ He braced his arm on the column behind her, "So, who do you work for, Miss Donovan?"

She patted his chest, "I'd rather not say." She took a step away from him, "Besides, you're a resourceful man - I'm sure you'll figure it out." She looked him over and smiled softly, "This has been a most interesting conversation - I look forward to seeing you again." she nodded, then slowly walked away and headed to Commander Williams.

Commander Williams raised an eyebrow as she stopped in front of him, "You're playing with fire, Lt." he cautioned her softly.

She nodded that she understood, "Is he still watching me?" she questioned.

Williams sighed, "Most definitely." He placed her hand on his arm and guided her over to Admiral Forrest. "I really hope you know what you're doing. If he's in on this plot, you're putting yourself in danger."

Kaitlyn could feel his concern for her safety, and perhaps a bit more than just professional concern for her well being. She patted his arm, "I know how to take care of myself. Remind me to brief you and the Admiral on what I discovered this afternoon." she mentioned as they approached Forrest, Archer, and Tucker.

Tucker whistled, "You do _not_ look like a MACO in that." he pointed to her outfit and grinned.

Archer frowned at his Engineer's outright ogling over Donovan.

Tucker realized he'd spoken without censoring what he was saying, "I meant it as a compliment." he quickly said to keep the MACO Lt. from knocking him on his ass.

She smiled at Tucker, "I took it as a compliment, Commander. Though I'm curious - what do you think a MACO is supposed to look like out of uniform?" she chided him.

Tucker opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it when he realized whatever he said would get him in a heap of trouble. He shook his head and shrugged.

Admiral Forrest couldn't help but wonder why she chose not to wear her uniform tonight. "I wonder what your father would think of that dress?" he casually questioned. He regretted asking it as soon as the words came out of his mouth. Her eyes narrowed and locked with his.

Kaitlyn had been caught off guard by the Admiral's question. She quickly schooled her expression and tempered her anger. "He would undoubtedly say that I was asking for trouble. If you'll excuse me, gentlemen - I need to check on something." she quickly walked away and out the side door to the garden before waiting for a reply. She sat the glass down on a table outside before she was tempted to throw it. She breathed slowly and focused on her job at hand.

She touched the implant behind her ear to activate it, "Tell me something I don't know." she requested from her team.

"Ambassador Soval is on his way to find you. I guess he sees this as an opportunity to talk to you." Corporal Torres stated.

"Thanks, Torres. Flag Captain Samuel Gardner's complete file and send it to my PADD so I can review it later." she requested then signaled with clicks that she couldn't talk for now. She looked up as the doors opened and surprisingly, Ambassador Soval came outside by himself.

The Ambassador nodded to her, "Good evening, Lt. Donovan." he greeted her.

"Good evening, Ambassador." she glanced back at the doors. "Where is your guard?" she questioned.

"I requested that he remain inside, so that I may speak to you privately." he answered and indicated a bench for them to sit on.

She sat down and waited for him to begin.

He looked at her curiously, "It seems that your attire this evening has caused a wake of emotions from quite a few people. Did you mean for this to occur?" he questioned her.

She looked at him in disbelief, then she realized that he really did want an answer. She took a deep breath and turned on the bench to him. "Ambassador, sometimes it's better to blend in as a civilian, than to stick out as a guard."

He watched her, unblinking.

"I must admit that I didn't realize that this dress would garner this much attention." she shrugged softly.

"I don't think it is necessarily the dress, but the woman in it. They are used to seeing you in your MACO uniform. They know you are strong and intelligent, now they have discovered a different side of you." he surmised.

She smiled, "That is a possibility." She turned back to business, "What do you need to speak to me about, Ambassador?"

Ambassador Soval saw no reason to mince words, "With the threats to Admiral Forrest's life and the Warp Five Program, I believe the testing of the Warp Engines should be delayed." he stated.

"Why are you telling me something that you've already spoken to the Admiral about? How could re-emphasizing your belief to me help?" she shook her head.

Soval watched her carefully, "Because you are his security and he listens to you." he pointed out. "It is unwise for the testing to proceed at this time."

She stood up and he rose as well. "Ambassador, I'll relay your concerns to Admiral Forrest - but I doubt it will help."

"Has the discovery of two bombs on the Enterprise not given him pause?" he asked her softly. _He could not understand the humans' lack of logic in such a tumultuous situation. _

She stopped and turned to him slowly. _How in the world did the Vulcans know?_ "What are you talking about, Ambassador?" she asked coolly.

Soval shook his head, "There is very little that we do not know, Lt." he stated.

Kaitlyn nodded slowly, "I'll remember that, Ambassador." She turned and left him standing outside. She walked over to the Admiral's table and sat down as dinner was being brought out. She watched as Ambassador Soval came in a few moments after her and sat down at his table.

Maxwell Forrest hadn't missed the fact that the Ambassador had followed her outside, "What was all of that about?" he questioned her softly. He felt bad about bringing up her father earlier and promised himself that he'd apologize after dinner.

She sipped her water and pondered everything she needed to tell him. _The list was getting longer by the minute_, she frowned. "We'll talk about it after dinner. If I remember right, you have a speech to give in three minutes." she indicated.

The Admiral nodded, he could sense her apprehension. He stood up and moved to the podium and she unobtrusively walked around the perimeter of the dining tables, looking as if she were heading to the bar. She stopped midway, in the direct line of sight with the Admiral and carefully scanned the audience as he started to make his short speech on the accomplishments they had made so far. She knew the other two operatives in the audience were maintaining a watch over the Admiral and the audience, as well. She also knew her three MACOs on the upper level had their weapons at the ready, should they be needed.

Admiral Forrest finished his speech and she made her way back to the table and sat down.

Jonathan Archer had been intrigued by Donovan's movements and had watched her take up a position at the back of the room. Then he had noted the three MACOs at the ready on the upper floor. He glanced between Forrest and Donovan and realized that she wasn't just investigating the bombs, like he'd thought. Then he remembered her comment in Engineering that her duty was to protect the Admiral. He had just passed it off as a fleeting comment at the time. _He was going to have a talk with Forrest and find out what was really going on. _

Lt. Donovan had seen Archer gazing up at the second floor, then she saw the questions in his eyes when she had sat down. _She wondered if it was possible to stop this train wreck from happening as soon as dinner was over? _She gazed around the table.

Archer was fit to be tied with the questions he now had.

Forrest was biting at the bit to know what Ambassador Soval had talked to her about.

Williams was concerned for her safety and kept looking back at Gardner uncomfortably.

A few tables away, Ambassador Soval wanted to know if the humans were completely illogical when it came to facing the mounting risks surrounding the testing of the Warp Engines.

A couple more tables over, Samuel Gardner was busy asking questions about her to the other people at his table.

Starfleet Security had a bad apple named Keppler and the Admiral's Aide was being influence by a relatively unknown xenophobic group called Terra Prime.

She looked up at the ceiling and sighed. _ And somewhere, in all this mess, Harris was wondering what other abilities she possessed. _


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

This story is actually a flashback of a much bigger story I'm in the process of writing.

Thank you to LoyaulteMeLie and Hummingbird2 for leaving reviews.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 7

1900 - Secured Lab, Starfleet Weapons Complex

Lt. Malcolm Reed analyzed the components of the two bombs that he had splayed out over the workbench. _He'd seen these components before, but where?_ He went to the computer and searched the database. He strummed his fingers on the table. He wasn't exactly a patient man, and he really didn't have too much time to waste. This lab was only available for another hour, then the late night shift would come in - to which he was a part of. It hadn't been easy to get the two bombs in the building, even though they were deactivated - but he'd managed by putting them in a shielded case. No one questioned Reed. He was the epitome of a by-the-book Starfleet Officer.

He looked up at the monitor as five results quickly popped up on the screen. He quickly read over the information. His scowl deepened. Each one of these components had been used in bombs that had gone off in very secured areas: a mining facility on Alpha Centauri; the administration offices at the Mobius Outpost; a weapons complex on Coridon; a scientific research facility on the Lunar colony; and last month, on a transport from a secured Starfleet warehouse in San Francisco. Each of these places were regularly check and inspected for explosive devices, _how did someone get them past the security in place? _

His communicator sounded and he quickly opened it, "Reed here." his British accent lilted through the stillness of the lab.

"Lieutenant, are you alone?" Harris questioned.

"Yes." Malcolm stated, though he was sure the man already knew. His Section 31 handler would never contact him if anyone was around.

A few seconds later, Harris materialized beside him, "What have you discovered?" he got down to business.

Malcolm quickly explained where the components had turned up before. He glanced at Harris, "How did your operative know what to look for on the Enterprise?" he questioned.

Harris watched the young man carefully, "She knew of the previous bombings using these materials and logically deduced that was what we should look for."

Malcolm Reed raised an eyebrow, "She's the one that put the new security protocols in place?" he asked. It wasn't often that a woman worked in security, even in this enlightened age, and even fewer women worked with explosives. " I'd like to meet her, we can go over my findings." he suggested.

Harris shook his head, "No. You work on finding out who the bomb maker is and where he got his materials. She is working on this from a different angle." he stated firmly.

Reed nodded slowly. Harris didn't like his operatives to meet, he liked to keep each of his people in their own little worlds. Malcolm smiled slowly as he uploaded his report to Harris' PADD. _With the little information he had on this woman, he could probably figure out who she was_. He quickly wiped the smile off his face as he turned back to Harris, "Anything else?" he questioned the man.

Harris could see the wheels turning in Reed's head. "You could put her life in danger if you go snooping around." he pointed out to the young operative. Reed was good and he knew the man could cover his tracks, but the people that put the bombs on the Enterprise seemed to be a step ahead of their security measures.

Reed sighed softly and nodded in acquiesce. He looked back at the disassembled bombs, "What do you want to do with these?"

"I'll take them, we may need to run further tests on them." Harris indicated for Reed to put them back in the shielded case.

Malcolm quickly put all of the pieces in the case and closed it and handed the case to his handler.

Harris nodded, "Good job, Lieutenant. Hopefully we won't need you to disarm any more bombs. I want you to continue tracking down who made these, and where the materials came from." he directed.

Lt. Malcolm Reed nodded and watched as Harris dematerialized again. He looked up at the clock on the wall. _Twenty minutes before his shift mates arrived._ He pulled up known bomb makers and started to narrow his search parameters.

xxxxx

2000 - Starfleet Officer's Club

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan glanced around the room as more people started to leave. Admiral Forrest was a few feet away, speaking with Admiral Davis. She was starting to feel uneasy. There was always an optimum amount of people in an area to feel safe. The place was starting to feel very empty. She looked up to the second floor and nodded to her team that still watched the area diligently. She slowly walked over to Admiral Forrest and waited for him to finish his conversation with Admiral Davis.

Forrest shook the man's hand, "See you tomorrow morning." He watched the man leave, then turned his attention to Donovan. "Are you going to tell me what Soval said?" he questioned.

She nodded, "We need to get you home."

Commander Williams came over, "Captain Archer wants to come with us, he's having Commander Tucker go back to the Enterprise." he explained as Archer finished speaking to Tucker.

She touched her implant, "Who's taken over piloting, since Mayweather left?" she asked her team.

"Ensign Pulley, Ma'am." Torres quickly reported.

"Thanks for all the support tonight, I'll see you at pt in the morning." she thanked her team, them signed off.

Donovan led the men to the waiting shuttle.

The trip to the Admiral's house in the shuttle was silent, except for the hum of the engines.

Donovan stood up as the shuttle landed, "Ensign, I want you to wait here. I'll need you to transport a few of us to other locations in a little while." she directed him.

"Yes, Ma'am." Ensign Pulley nodded as he shut down the engines, then went and opened the hatch.

The men piled out and headed into the Admiral's house as the pilot went back into the shuttle. Donovan signaled for one of her MACOs around the perimeter of the Admiral's house to come to her.

Lance Corporal Rutledge quickly jumped out of the closest tree and headed to her. "Yes, Ma'am?" he questioned.

"Anything unusual?" she asked.

The young MACO shook his head, "No, Ma'am - it's been quiet." He looked to a tree on the other side of the yard when a bird call sounded and a bag dropped out of the tree. He smiled, "Corporal Buchannan brought your bag over earlier, Ma'am." he quickly jogged over and retrieved it and handed the bag to her. "He figured you'd need what was inside."

She smiled softly, "Thank you." She nodded, then headed inside.

Forrest quickly started a pot of coffee and took his jacket off and they all sat around the kitchen table. "Alright, what did Soval want?" he asked.

"He wanted to re-iterate his concerns with the testing of the Warp Engines." Donovan stated.

Jonathan Archer shook his head, "Why in the world would he be telling you that?"

She looked at the Admiral, "Ambassador Soval seems to think my opinion matters to Admiral Forrest." she explained. "He questioned your logic with proceeding, because of the discovery of the bombs."

All three men looked at her in disbelief. Forrest finally snapped out of it, "The Vulcans know about the bombs?" he asked slowly. He got four cups out and served the coffee.

She nodded, "He told me that there is very little they don't know." she pointed out. "They know why I'm here, and they know about the bombs - but I don't think they know about the other problems we've got." She pulled her PADD out of the bag and turned it on. She noted the icon flashing that she had received two new files. She clicked on the icon. One file was Gardner's personnel file and the other was the report on the bomb from the Ordinance Officer. She clicked off the icon and returned her attention to the men around the table.

Forrest sat down in the chair next to Archer, "What other problems do we have?"

"I found out who the leak in Starfleet Security is - a Commander Robert Keppler. He's been overseeing the security of the Enterprise, and I just found out he's in charge of the security next week at the banquet after the Warp Engine testing." she explained. She pulled up Keppler's photo and handed the PADD to Forrest.

"How did you find out it's Keppler?" Forrest questioned her as he looked over the photo. He showed the photo to Archer and Williams then handed the PADD back to her.

She sipped her coffee slowly, _how should she put thi_s_?_ She set the cup down, "Information has been taken from your office: the Enterprise schematics; all personnel records of everyone involved in the Warp Five Program and the Enterprise; along with your itinerary." she said calmly.

_Bam!_ Forrest slammed his fist on the table and caused the coffees to slosh onto the table. He cursed under his breath as he retrieved the paper towels from the cabinet and sopped up the mess. He threw the wet towels away and stood at the sink and tried to calm down. _ How in the hell had this happened? _They were careful, they had firewalls in place to keep everything in the computer system secured. "How did they get the files?" he asked softly as he looked out the window.

"I installed a monitoring device in your office very early this morning." Donovan explained and quickly continued when the Admiral looked at her sharply. "I had a bad feeling that your medicines could be poisoned - they are not secured." she pointed out.

Forrest sat back down in the chair heavily, he didn't like where the conversation was heading.

Kaitlyn pulled up the footage of Lt. O'Dell getting information off the Admiral's computer and held the PADD so they could watch.

Commander Williams shook his head, "O'Dell has to get information off of the Admiral's computer for his reports." he pointed out.

She nodded slowly, "But he shouldn't have the Enterprise schematics and all of the personnel files on his personal PADD." she stated.

The color from the Admiral's face drained. _How long had his Aide been copying files - and what other classified information had he taken? _

Archer leaned forward, "How do you know what's on O'Dell's PADD?" he asked her curiously.

"I analyzed his PADD before I questioned him this afternoon." she explained as she braced herself for an onslaught.

"You did what?" Forrest raised his voice and stood back up.

Commander Williams turned to her, "Is that why you two really left the office this afternoon?" he was wide-eyed.

Archer sat back in his chair and realized that she was calm, too calm for someone getting yelled at by an Admiral. "What did his legal counsel have to say?" he raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling that her questioning hadn't been exactly kosher.

She leaned back in her chair. He was perceptive, more than other people gave him credit for. "Lt. O'Dell did not have counsel. After reviewing the information I got from him, we decided to release him and have him continue to pass on information, so we can see who it ultimately leads to." she shrugged.

Admiral Forrest gripped the back of the chair, "What? What! You want him to continue doing this? How did you get him to agree to that?" he demanded to know. "You'd better not have given him immunity." he seethed.

"Admiral, I'm not in any position to give out that kind of deal." She looked over the men at the table, "Lt. O'Dell does not remember that he was caught, or that I questioned him. He only remembers that he got sick this afternoon and I took him to the infirmary."

The room was silent.

Donovan sipped her coffee and waited.

Forrest went to the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of bourbon and set it on the table. He downed the remaining coffee in his cup, then poured some of the bourbon in. He took a drink, then looked at her questionably, "What am I supposed to do with what you told me?" He shook his head, "You took him, questioned him without counsel, then had his memories wiped, and now you're going to use him? What about his family?"

Lt. Donovan quickly pulled up a small back page news article she'd found after she questioned Jerry O'Dell. She handed the PADD to the Admiral and let him read it.

Forrest nodded slowly, "I remember, a month ago a civilian transport was hit by one of our transports taking supplies from one of our warehouses to resupply a Vulcan ship in orbit." He frowned, it had been a nightmare keeping it out of the news. He handed the PADD back to her, "What does this have to do with Lt. O'Dell?"

"That was Lt. O'Dell's family that was killed." she said softly.

Commander Williams shook his head vigorously in disbelief, "That can't be right - he talks about them every day!" He closed his eyes tightly.

Archer frowned, "Why didn't he say anything?"

"A Terra Prime representative suggested that he not. They worked him and told him that Starfleet would keep this incident hushed - and you proved them right." she explained. "They've been working him ever since the incident." She frowned as the Admiral poured himself another cup of bourbon. "Did you know that there was actually a bomb on the transport headed to the Vulcan ship?" she asked him softly.

Forrest frowned, "I thought it was just an explosion caused by all of the fuel." He looked at Williams for confirmation on what he'd been told.

Williams nodded, they'd both been there at the briefing of the incident. "Starfleet Security said it was the fuel that caught fire." He turned to Donovan questionably.

Donovan quickly pulled up the incident report, "Yes, Commander Keppler wrote that report and stated that it was the fuel that caused the explosion. Luckily, everything was well documented and we learned that it was really a bomb, made of the same components in four other bombs, and the two found on the Enterprise." She quickly read over the Ordinance Officer's report that detailed about the other bombs, as well as the two he'd extracted out of Enterprise earlier today. She handed the PADD to Forrest.

Forrest read over the report, then passed it around. "So, was the bomb meant to go off on the Vulcan ship?" he wondered.

Donovan shrugged, "I don't know, but we will find out soon." She watched them carefully, "For what it's worth, Lt. O'Dell was very loyal to Starfleet until this happened. Terra Prime has convinced him that it was the Vulcan's fault for his family's deaths."

Archer frowned, "All of the places these bombs went off . . ."

Donovan nodded, "Have ties to our space program, in one way or another." She looked at Forrest and Williams, "I know it will be hard not to say anything to O'Dell, but you need to carry on like nothing has changed." she reminded them.

Williams slumped back in his chair, "How are we supposed to do that? I'm just supposed to go along when he talks about his family?" He agreed that the man had been dealt a serious blow when he lost his family, but he didn't understand how O'Dell could just pretend like nothing happened. _What O'Dell needed was psychiatric help. _

Kaitlyn saw the torment in the Commander's eyes. "Yes, you just go along with what he has to say. You let him keep doing what he's been doing and you don't give him any indication that you suspect him of doing anything wrong."

Williams leaned closer, "How do you do that?" he asked her quietly.

She sighed, "Unfortunately, I've had lots of practice." She looked down at her PADD as a message came up and she quickly read it, then deleted it. She stood up, "If you will excuse me gentlemen, it seems I have another appointment before I get to turn in this evening."

The men stood up. Forrest looked at her thoughtfully, "Kaitlyn, I don't agree with what you did, but I understand why. " he told her.

Donovan nodded, "I understand, Sir." She looked at the other men, "Anyone else need a ride?"

Archer glanced at the Admiral, "I'm going to stay here for awhile."

"I should be heading home." Williams said and nodded to the other men.

Lt. Donovan picked up her bag, "Admiral, if you need anything, my men are in the trees outside."

Forrest smiled softly, "Thanks."

Donovan and Williams walked outside and Ensign Pulley quickly started up the shuttle and they got in.

Williams gave the pilot his address and Kaitlyn quickly typed in a message and sent it. She smiled softly as he sat down beside her. "This has been a roller coaster of a day." he stated. He looked at her closely, "Do you have a lot of days like this?"

Kaitlyn shook her head, "Most of my days are filled with tactical or weapons trainings, or gearing up for one of our missions." she admitted to him.

He nodded slowly, "I can see why General Casey suggested you to be Admiral Forrest's security, you're very knowledgeable." He frowned and glanced at the pilot, "I don't think we would have found those 'items' if you hadn't been here."

"I believe that someone would have found them in time." she stated.

He raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"When you start to doubt the systems that are in place to keep you safe, that's how groups like Terra Prime thrive." she pointed out. "I can't afford to start doubting what I'm asked to do, in order to keep those systems in place."

Commander Williams watched the woman beside him. _She was right. _Whoever was in charge of this investigation, and he was sure it wasn't General Casey, had sent her - alone, to tell them what she'd done to Lt. O'Dell. If she didn't believe that what she was doing was right, she'd have a heck of a time carrying out her orders. He wondered who was really overseeing this operation - it was definitely turning out to be an operation, not just guard detail. _He wondered what the fall out was going to be when this was all said and done._ He looked away as the shuttle landed at his apartment.

"Thanks for the lift, Ensign." she said as she stepped out of the shuttle with Williams.

"Goodnight." the Ensign nodded and the shuttle quickly took off.

Commander Williams looked at her questionably, "You live around here?"

An unmarked shuttle landed across the street and the hatch opened.

"I have another ride." she shrugged. "I'll see you at the office, Commander." she said as she quickly got into the other shuttle.

Williams watched as the unmarked shuttle flew away. He turned and headed inside. _It had been a really long day._

xxxxx

Harris looked at Kaitlyn Donovan as she sat down in the shuttle and it quickly took off. "You've had a busy night." he commented.

She nodded and leaned back in her seat. "I'm sure you heard everything." She loved the communication implant she had, it made communicating with her MACOs instantaneous - but she also knew that nothing she said was really private.

He smiled softly, "You handled yourself very well when you answered their questions. I didn't like having to find out about O'Dell's family that way." he admitted.

She shrugged, "I thought it was best to tell them first, to see their reaction."

He raised an eyebrow, "You suspected something?" he questioned.

"No one is above reproach in this situation." she told him carefully.

"Is that why you're looking into Gardner?" Harris surmised.

Kaitlyn picked up her bag as the shuttle started its descent, "If I were looking for an Officer with access, who feels that he has been slighted by Starfleet - I'd approach him." she pointed out.

Harris looked at her thoughtfully, "He feels slighted?"

She stood up as the shuttle landed. "Yes, he does." She watched Harris, "I'd like to meet the Ordinance Officer to go over his report and show him a drawing." she requested.

Harris shook his head no.

She frowned. "When are you going to realize that two operatives are better than one?"

"Not anytime soon." he said coolly. He indicated for the pilot to open the hatch.

She turned and stepped out of the shuttle. She froze in her tracks. _He'd brought her to her real apartment, her bolt hold - the one place she could come to that no one knew about._ She had another apartment in town that was on all of her records as her place of residence. She whirled around and found Harris standing a few feet from her, "You had no right!"

Harris raised an eyebrow at her tone, "It took two clicks to find out the place your father has listed as his permanent residence. " He stepped closer to her and looked around at the very posh Mediterranean style apartment complex, "Tell me, Kaitlyn - do any of the other residents know that you own the whole place?" He found it interesting that she had used some of the inheritance from her mother to buy this place when she was a sophomore in college, then pretended she was just another resident.

She evened out her breathing to bring her blood pressure back to normal. She watched him carefully, not bothering to answer his question.

Harris narrowed his gaze at her, "I didn't appreciate finding out what I did about you today, especially not the way I found out. Do you have anything else you need to come clean about?" he questioned her.

She jutted her chin out, "Even if I did, do you really think I'd tell you now?" she countered.

He looked her up and down, "You'd be wise to remember your place in this organization. You report to me." He turned to leave, then stopped. "Kaitlyn, if you ever touch me, I'll shoot you without hesitation or remorse."

She turned and headed up to her apartment as she heard the shuttle take off. She silently cursed her father for listing this address as his residence. She opened the front door and stepped in. She hadn't been here in over a month and the air was stale. She felt like slamming the door, but instead she closed it quietly. She turned the bolt on the security lock and leaned her forehead against the door. She closed her eyes tightly as the full weight of everything that had happened today came rushing over her.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

This story is actually a flashback of a much bigger story I'm in the process of writing.

Thank you to LoyaulteMeLie and Hummingbird2 for leaving reviews.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 8

0730 - Starfleet Command

Admiral Maxwell Forrest walked hesitantly to his office. He dreaded seeing Lt. O'Dell this morning. _How was he supposed to pretend the man wasn't a traitor?_ He paused and looked down at his right hand and the bandage around it. He'd gotten angry after Archer had finally left him alone. He'd accidentally broke a glass in his hand and the thing had shattered. Then, he'd nearly had a heart attack when the MACOs had burst into the kitchen to make sure he was okay. One of them, Lance Corporal Rutledge, had cleaned the wound and wrapped it, then suggested that he get it checked out by the infirmary in the morning.

"Are you feeling okay, Admiral?" the MACO beside him asked.

Forrest nodded and gave Buchannan a weak smile, "Just not looking forward to today." he admitted and continued on his way. He took a deep breath.

Buchannan kept the Admiral's pace, "Do you have any appointments early this morning, Sir?" he questioned as they rounded a corner.

Forrest halted and looked questionably at the MACO.

Buchannan indicated the Admiral's wrapped hand, "She's going to take you to the infirmary."

Forrest sighed, then started to walk again. _Nothing like having a nursemaid watching over him._ He braced himself as they entered his outer office and Lt. O'Dell quickly approached.

"Good morning, Admiral. I'm sorry I didn't get that report finished for you yesterday afternoon - but its ready now. I uploaded it to your computer a few minutes ago." Lt. O'Dell quickly stated.

Forrest nodded, "That's fine, Lieutenant. How are you feeling this morning?" he asked softly.

O'Dell smiled, "Much better, Sir." he admitted.

The Admiral looked at his office door as Williams and Donovan stepped out. He nodded to O'Dell, then went into his office. He immediately went to his desk and opened the top drawer for an antacid. _They were gone, all of his medicines were gone._ He looked up at Donovan questionably.

"We will get you a new bottle of each when we're at the infirmary." she told him.

He narrowed his eyes. _Nursemaid_, he cursed her in his mind. He turned to Williams for support.

Commander Williams shrugged, "You need to have your hand checked out, Sir." he glanced at his PADD and checked the Admiral's itinerary. "Your first appointment is at ten with Admiral Davis." he stated. He looked at Donovan. She had told him of the Admiral's 'accident'. He noted that she was standing stiffly and breathing very slowly. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Maybe the doctor should check you out too." he suggested.

Admiral Forrest's gaze quickly focused on the MACO, "What's wrong with you?" he questioned quickly.

She gave Williams a frown for ratting her out, then she turned her attention back to Forrest, "I should have dodged faster this morning at pt. I'll be fine." she stated firmly to both of them.

Forrest smiled softly. _Well, at least if he was going to get scolded by the doctor - so could she._ "Let's go, Lieutenant." he waved to the door. He looked at Williams, "Hold down the fort until we get back."

Commander Williams nodded. He waited until they left, then he started to upload all of the false information that Donovan had given him a few minutes ago. They'd just have to wait to see how long it would take for O'Dell to download the information and for Keppler to contact him. He frowned_, he didn't like this part of the plan at all_, but then he couldn't think of another way to track down who was after their classified information.

xxxxx

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan winced slightly as she strode beside the Admiral as they walked across the grounds to the infirmary. She really didn't want to admit how bad her side was hurting. She'd let her mind stray during her pt session with her squad this morning and she'd gotten round house kicked in her left side. She breathed deeply through the pain radiating in her side as they climbed up the stairs to the entrance.

Forrest glanced at her as he noted her breathing. He frowned, _she was too stubborn for her own good - just like her father. _They walked to the receptionist and were quickly shown back to an examining room, since Commander Williams had called ahead.

Lt. Donovan looked around the rather large examining room. It was filled with plants and little cages with various creatures in them. She peered up as one of the animals flapped its wings from a shelf above. She raised her eyebrow as Forrest sat on the examining table, "Who's your doctor?" She was bewildered by all of the creatures in the room.

Maxwell Forrest smiled, "Doctor Phlox, he's a Denobulan here with the Interspecies Medical Exchange." He could understand the young Lieutenant's hesitation, he had been leery of the doctor when he'd first met him. "He's a really good doctor and has a very interesting bedside manner." He indicated the creatures, "Though some of his off-world techniques, I'm not too sure about."

The doctor came in quickly and smiled brightly at his patient, "Ah, Admiral Forrest, what can I help you with today?" he questioned loudly.

Donovan smiled at the Denobulan Doctor's exuberant attitude as she moved out of his way.

"Oh, I just cut my hand last night." Forrest indicated his hand.

Doctor Phlox grinned, "Well, let's take a look - shall we?" He glanced over to the woman in the room. "Are you a relative of Admiral Forrest?" he questioned as he pulled out his medical scanner.

She raised an eyebrow and shook her head, "No."

Doctor Phlox tilted his head slightly, "Then I must ask that you leave. Doctor-patient privilege, you know." he pointed out.

She was about to protest when the Admiral interrupted her.

"It's okay, Doctor Phlox, Lt. Donovan is my personal security. Besides, I'd like for you to take a look at her when you're done with me." he explained.

Doctor Phlox nodded, "Very well." He slowly took the wrap off the Admiral's hand and looked at it closely. "Glass?" he surmised.

Forrest nodded as the doctor quickly scanned his hand.

"Well, you won't have any permanent damage, but the cut was quite deep. Who did you get to work on this first?" Doctor Phlox questioned as he put the scanner on the table.

"Lance Corporal Rutledge cleaned it last night." Forrest said softly as the doctor went to a fish tank and pulled out a starfish-like creature.

"Well, he did a good job of cleaning it and he used a good adhesive to help seal the wound. You would have gotten an infection otherwise." the doctor pointed out. He indicated for the Admiral to hold out his hand, palm side up.

The Admiral complied and watched as the doctor placed the creature on his cut. "What is it going to do?"

"She will clean out the adhesive and the wound, then I will seal the wound permanently." Doctor Phlox explained. "Now, Admiral, I will see to Lt. Donovan." He turned his attention to the female. "What seems to be the problem?" he indicated for her to sit down on the stool.

She remained standing, "I'll be fine. I just got round house kicked this morning and I have a few bruised ribs, that's all. I'd really just like a pain reliever." she stated.

The Doctor shook his head at her, "What kind of doctor would I be if I didn't give you a thorough examination?" he asked rhetorically. "Could you take off your weapon and jacket, please?" he requested.

She frowned, but slowly and took off her pistol and sat it on the table, then unbuttoned her jacket an hung it up on the back of the door. She turned around and found the doctor running the medical scanner over her. She stepped back quickly, _she hadn't heard him approach_.

"I didn't mean to startle you, Lieutenant." he apologized, then frowned at the readings. "You have more than just bruised ribs." he stated. _She had to be in considerable pain. _"Could you lift your shirt?" he requested to get a good look at the damage.

She lifted the left side of her shirt and revealed the huge purple and black hematoma.

Maxwell Forrest frowned at the bruising on her side.

Doctor Phlox bobbed his head a bit, then took a deep breath. "I will stabilize the broken bones first, then I will seal the puncture to your diaphragm." he explained the treatment. "If you would like, I could treat you in another room, so you could lay down?" he offered.

Donovan shook her head, "I can stand right here while you treat me."

Doctor Phlox nodded and brought over the bone stabilizer and quickly set the two broken ribs, then he used another tool to seal the punctured diaphragm. He indicated for her to hold her shirt up, so he could wrap her lower rib cage to help the bones heal. He nodded to himself at his work, then gave her a hypo of pain reliever. "Now, you should take care to not re-break those ribs." he indicated.

She nodded as the pain subsided, "Thank you, Doctor." she smiled softly.

He turned back to the Admiral and took the creature off the man's hand. "Ah, very good." He put the animal back in its tank, then quickly cleaned and sealed the Admiral's hand. "There you go - good as new." the doctor smiled widely.

Admiral Forrest nodded, "Thank you." He glanced at Donovan, then remembered his pills. "Doctor Phlox, I also need to get a refill on all of my usual medicines."

The doctor looked at him curiously, "You've already run out? I just refilled them." he was about to suggest a few test to run on the Admiral to check out the man's intestines when the Lieutenant stepped in.

"I took them away, Doctor. I felt his unsecured pill drawer could have been tampered with. I have a secured cabinet for him to put his medicines in - once we have new bottles." Donovan explained.

"Do you think he's been poisoned?" the doctor questioned quickly.

"Probably not, but I have the lab running an analysis, just to be on the safe side." she stated.

Doctor Phlox nodded, "Yes, well - Admiral, I suggest you keep your medicines secured."

Forrest nodded, "I will." he agreed.

Forrest and Donovan walked to the pharmacy window and picked up his sack of medicines and started to walk back to Headquarters. He gave her a sideways glance and noticed that her stride was much better. He wanted to point out that she should have gone to the infirmary earlier, but she could tell him the same thing. He remembered last night, after his accident, that he hadn't apologized to her. "Lieutenant, I meant to apologize for my comment about your dress last night. I'm sorry." he said as they continued to walk.

She smiled softly, "Don't worry about it, Admiral. I have a lot more things to worry about than a comment about my dress." She cleared her throat. "I learned that there are over twenty reports that Keppler wrote on investigations that we've flagged now. I have people going over each of the investigations discreetly." she informed him.

He nodded and quickly turned to her. He was about to ask her who was helping her, then caught himself. _He was sure she was working with Section 31._ No one liked to admit that it existed. But, just as this mess was proving, there was a need for such a clandestine organization. He frowned, then continued to walk.

Donovan had watched Admiral Forrest start to form a question, then he quickly squelched it and moved on. She surveyed the area as they continued to head to Headquarters. She felt a message arrive on her PADD and she quickly pulled it out, "Admiral, could we stop a moment?" she requested.

He looked at her questionably as he stopped near a tree.

She moved to put herself in front of him, then read the message quickly, typed in a reply, then put the PADD back in her jacket. "Thank you, Sir." she nodded. "Lt. O'Dell has a meeting with Commander Keppler tonight." she stated.

He wondered how she knew, then decided he really didn't want to know. "Who is going to the meeting to watch them?"

She looked at him curiously, "I will, Admiral." she answered as they went inside and headed for the lift.

Admiral Maxwell Forrest raised an eyebrow, "Where's the meeting?"

She frowned, _why was he asking so many questions?_ "At the Koolata - it's a bar."

They approached his office and saw a man waiting in his outer office.

Admiral Forrest was surprised, "Captain Gardner, do we have an appointment?" he greeted the man.

Gardner smiled brightly and shook the Admiral's hand, "No, Sir. Actually, I came by to speak to Lt. Donovan - if that's okay with you?" he requested.

Forrest looked at his watch, "Ten minutes." he nodded, then went to his office.

Gardner waited until the Admiral was out of earshot, then grinned at her. "So, a MACO?"

Donovan returned his smile, "I knew you'd find me. I take it you've read my files, are you intrigued, or repulsed?" she questioned him.

"Definitely intrigued. You've got some of the highest scores in the MACOs, in fact, they are well above most Starfleet Officers. I'm curious, why the MACOs?" he leaned back against the wall.

She shrugged, "I like to be in the middle of the action - not pushing papers and dealing with the theoretical." she told him honestly.

He nodded, "Well, I'd like to buy you dinner and learn more about you."

"Actually, I already have plans tonight." She thought about something she'd read in his files, "Do you run?"

"Every morning at the park." he smiled slowly.

She stepped closer to him, "How about I run with you in the morning, and then we can get breakfast at the Early Riser?" she suggested.

He grinned, "Sounds great. 0630, at the fountain."

She nodded, "I'll see you then." She turned and went to the Admiral's office.

Commander Williams raised an eyebrow, "So?" he prompted.

"We are going running in the morning." she informed them.

Forrest frowned, he looked at Williams and nodded to the man.

Commander Williams looked at her squarely, "I'll be your escort tonight." he stated. They expected her to protest, so he and the Admiral had gone over reasons why she needed someone with her tonight.

Lt. Donovan nodded, "That will be fine." she agreed. She smiled inwardly when the two men looked relieved. "You do have civilian clothes, right?"

Commander Williams chuckled softly, "Yes, I do, Lieutenant."

Admiral Davis arrived and she went to stand her post at the door. Donovan continued to get updates throughout the morning on her PADD.

Commander Williams came over to her at 1145, "The Admiral has decided to eat at the Officer's Club with Admiral Davis." he informed her.

Donovan nodded and informed her team of the location change. She walked over to Lt. O'Dell, "I'm glad you're feeling better this morning." she smiled softly and touched his shoulder gently. "Evidently, the Admiral is going to the Officer's Club for lunch. You mentioned earlier that you needed to get some more information for that report for the Command Council meeting this afternoon, this would be a good time to get it, since we'll be out." She patted his shoulder, "If you'd like to wait until we get back, I'll take a late lunch with you." she suggested.

O'Dell smiled, "That will be wonderful, Lieutenant." he agreed.

She nodded, then headed to the door as the Admirals came out of the office. She walked ahead of the group and kept a watchful eye out as they headed over to the Officer's Club.

The hostess quickly led them to a table near the window that looked over the Bay.

Admiral Davis glanced at the MACO as he sat down at the table and she moved to take a position a few feet away, "When do you get to eat lunch, Lieutenant?" he asked.

She smiled softly at the older Admiral, "Later, Sir - enjoy your lunch." she moved away and surveyed the room. The place looked less festive than it had last night. Fourteen minutes later, Corporal Buchannan came in and headed over to her. She looked at him skeptically, _why hadn't he just talked to her over their comm? _

Buchannan stepped closer to her, "We think someone has tapped into our comm system." he said softly. "They are not only listening to our conversations, but they are also pinging our locations."

She nodded slowly. This new development wasn't Harris, he was already listening. _This was someone else. _"Do we know who?" she questioned him softly. Forrest was watching her curiously.

He shook his head, "No, Ma'am. Major Hayes is outside." he informed her.

Donovan turned her back to the Admiral and looked at Buchannan, "Watch over him."

Buchannan nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."

Lt. Donovan quickly walked out of the Officer's Club and spotted Hayes, then headed over to him. "How did we discover that someone was listening in?" she asked.

Major Hayes gazed over the grounds of Starfleet to make sure no one was watching them. "Our internal sensors lit up like a Christmas tree about thirty minutes ago. We've stopped all communications over our channels. Our computer engineers are dumping everything and re-initializing with new codes. It will take a couple of hours." he explained. He looked at her closely, "This assignment has now encroached upon MACO territory. General Casey wants you to know that you will get whatever MACO support you need to find these people."

Lt. Donovan nodded, "Please convey my thanks to the General." She looked at her Commanding Officer, "I'm sorry that this assignment has become so encompassing. It turns out there is a lot more going on than we originally thought."

He half smiled, "Don't apologize, Lieutenant. You do this assignment, then come back and help me get the rest of the unit ready for our next training."

"Yes, Sir."

"Don't use the comm system until you are told personally by one of our men." Hayes cautioned her.

"Understood." She turned to head back inside.

"Donovan," Hayes called her. She looked back at him. "Watch your back, I can't replace you."

She acknowledged his sentiment and headed back in. _I can't replace you_, that was her Commanding Officer's way of telling his people that he cared and they made a difference. He also had a standing rule that you couldn't die without permission. She wasn't sure how he could enforce that rule, but it did make everyone feel better knowing that he'd always be there for them, up till the very end. She walked back over to Buchannan.

"Why don't you go ahead and grab your lunch and meet us back at the office, then we'll switch off?" she suggested.

xxxxx

Donovan looked up as Corporal Torres came in the Admiral's outer office at 1645 to relieve her.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am." he returned her nod.

"Do you have everything you will need tonight?" she checked.

"Yes, Ma'am. I have the security monitors synched to my PADD, the night perimeter members have already checked in, and I just received the pilot's information." he rattled off.

She smiled softly, "Very well." She indicated for him to walk with her to the Admiral's office. She knocked and the Admiral looked up. "Admiral, this is Corporal Torres, my relief." she explained.

Admiral Forrest came around his desk and nodded, "Corporal Torres, do you have my evening itinerary?" he questioned the young man.

"Yes, Admiral. The reservations at the restaurant have already been secured and I went by earlier to check the security of the establishment." Torres quickly answered.

The Admiral smiled softly, "Well, I'll try to keep myself out of trouble tonight." He looked at Donovan, "Have a good evening, Lieutenant." _He hoped that she'd stay out of trouble too._

Lt. Donovan nodded, "I will try, Sir." She indicated for Torres to come back out to the outer office. "Has the comm system been fixed?" she asked him quietly.

"Yes, Ma'am." he listened carefully to his Squad Leader as she quickly ran through all of her notes with him.

Donovan put her PADD back in her jacket and looked over the young Corporal, "I know you will do well." she stated firmly.

"Thank you for selecting me for this detail tonight." he replied.

"Don't thank me, Corporal - you've earned it." she indicated as she retrieved her bag from the secured locker. She then headed over to Commander William's office a few doors down. She popped her head in and smiled as he stood up and walked over to her.

"What time do you want to meet there?" he questioned.

"Actually, there's a little patio cafe restaurant across the street from the bar - why don't we meet there at 1830 so we can eat dinner?" she suggested.

"What time are they meeting?" he asked quietly as he checked his watch, quickly calculating everything he needed to wrap up for the evening.

"They are meeting at 2000." she stated as she felt another message come in. She pulled her PADD back out and clicked on the flashing icon. The message was from the team keeping a watch on Gardner, notifying her that he was going to a lecture that evening. She acknowledged the update and put her PADD back up.

Williams looked questionably at her.

She smiled, "An update on Gardner's itinerary tonight."

He raised an eyebrow, "Just how many squads do you have working on this?"

"Quite a few." she replied. She noticed his frown at her answer, "I'd be breaking security protocol if I told you." she pointed out with a small shrug. "I'll see you there, Commander." she waved and headed to the apartment she had listed on her records.

_She was still madder than heck at Harris for putting her in her place last night_. But, she had to admit, she would have done something like it if she'd been in his shoes. The walk from Starfleet Headquarters to her apartment was a good fifteen minutes at a normal pace, but if she needed to - she could run it in less than five. She often jogged on her way to the morning pt sessions she had with her unit to loosen up before she got there. She hesitated at the bottom step of her apartment building and looked around the area slowly. _Something was not right._ She went into her apartment and looked outside the front window for anything out of the ordinary. She didn't see anything suspicious. She frowned slightly, then went to take her shower and get ready for tonight.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Thank you to LoyaulteMeLie and Hummingbird2 for leaving reviews.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 9

1830 - The Parrot's Perch.

Commander Williams smiled as Kaitlyn got out of the cab. "You look nice this evening." he commented as he looked over her navy sundress.

Kaitlyn grinned as she nodded at his khaki pants and crisp white short sleeved shirt, "Well, so do you Commander."

He held her elbow gently as the hostess took them to their table on the patio. "I think you should call me Derek." he suggested as he held the chair for her.

"Your waitress with be with you momentarily." the hostess handed them the menus, then left.

"Okay, Derek - then you should call me Kaitlyn. I guess it would raise a few eyebrows if we keep calling each other by our ranks." she agreed. She looked over the menu, then gazed across the street at the bar and the patrons going in. College students, tourists, and a few middle aged people - they would fit in.

"So, how was your lunch with O'Dell today?" he asked as he leaned back in the chair.

Kaitlyn returned her focus to him, "It was fine, though a bit sad. He talked about his plans with his family for his leave coming up." she frowned. It had been unnerving, but she'd found it interesting the amount of detail he'd told her. _Jerry really needed help._

"We'll make sure he gets the help he needs when this is over." Derek Williams promised.

She nodded and smiled softly as the waitress came over and took their orders. She retrieved her PADD from her handbag and set it on the table.

She thanked the waitress as she came back and set their drinks down. She looked at the Commander, "So, tell me, Derek - what do you do when you're not working?" she sipped her water.

He shrugged slightly, "Unfortunately, I don't have much free time - but I do like to windsurf, if I get the chance, and I like to go hiking." he admitted.

Kaitlyn's smile brightened, "Windsurfing, really? That's one sport I haven't tried."

Derek raised an eyebrow, "Well, maybe when all this is over I can teach you."

She nodded, "Sounds good."

He leaned forward, "So, what do you do?" he questioned her.

Kaitlyn laughed softly, "Your opinion of me would never be the same." She shook her head.

Derek chuckled, "That's not fair, I told you." he pointed out to her.

She leaned back, "What do you think I do?"

"I know you were on the Tennis Team at Stanford, and you were also in a lot of theatrical plays - and you're obviously very athletic." he thought for a moment. "Rock climbing? Sky diving?" he guessed.

Kaitlyn grinned, "I get enough of that a work." She sighed softly, "I read."

Both of his eyebrows went up, "What do you read?"

She sat back as the food was placed on the table. She took in a deep breath, the lasagna smelled wonderful. "Whatever peaks my interests. Everything from the latest in warp theory to psychosis of the mind." she admitted.

Derek Williams smiled softly and started to eat his pasta. _She was definitely unique._ "Do you remember everything you read?" _That would explain her quick recall of information._

"I have an eidetic memory - it's a good thing, most of the time." she bobbed her head. She glanced at her PADD and touched the flashing icon. "Keppler has left his apartment." she stated.

Williams stopped his fork mid-air, "Already?" he questioned quickly.

"He probably has a few stops to make on the way. O'Dell is still at his house." she explained and went back to eating.

Derek Williams wondered how she could remain so calm, his nerves were a jumbled mess. He tried to dismiss his apprehension about this evening and ate his food quietly.

"It's okay to be nervous." she said softly.

He wiped his mouth and drank a sip of tea, "You get used to doing things like this?"

She nodded, "Just like you get used to not flinching when people are shooting at you."

Derek frowned. _He didn't want to think about getting shot at_. Heck, he qualified each year at his weapon testing and those were the only times he touched a weapon. He was a mission analyst and he liked to keep everything in a mission planned, organized, and on schedule - that was what he was good at.

Kaitlyn could see that he was still uncomfortable and decided to shift the conversation. "We'll be training on Mars in three weeks, have you ever been there?" she asked and finished eating.

He nodded, "Twice, the first time we were touring the facilities and planning for refurbishments, and then we went afterwards. The facilities are really nice, state of the art. Where will you be staying?"

"Out in the boonies. We're going to be doing ground warfare maneuvers out in the planet's environment." she explained as she got the waitress' attention and indicated for her to bring the check.

"It's going to be difficult in that environment." Derek said as he noted the flashing icon on her PADD.

"We'll be prepared." she said as she read the message. The waitress brought over the check and Kaitlyn quickly paid for the meal.

The waitress smiled at the generous tip, "Thank you."

Kaitlyn nodded, "Alyssa, can you recommend a good bar?" she inquired.

The waitress nodded, "The Koolata across the street is always on all of the review pages as being really good." she explained.

"Thank you." Kaitlyn nodded and gathered her handbag and her PADD.

Derek led her through the tables on the patio to the front of the restaurant. "What was all that about?" he questioned softly.

"It's always good to ask for recommendations, even if you don't follow their advice. It helps in case anyone is watching your movements." she patted his arm as he offered his elbow as they waited to cross the street.

"What was the message?" he asked as they crossed the street.

"Keppler will be here soon, and O'Dell just left his house. We need to get in and get settled before he arrives." she explained as they stepped into the bar that was decorated like a beach front. She quickly scanned the establishment and looked for a place that would have a good view of the door and the bar. She smiled as she saw the middle aged tourist group of four that had come in earlier, sitting at a large table. "Could you get us some drinks?" she suggested.

He watched as she headed over to a table of tourists. He nodded to the bartender and quickly gave the man their order. He was mystified as Kaitlyn easily started a conversation with the group and had them laughing a few moments later. He paid the bartender, then took the drinks over.

Kaitlyn smiled brightly and took her drink, then wrapped her hand around his arm, "Derek, this is Evaline and Peter Mullen, and Grace and Joe Sanders." she introduced them.

Derek smiled and shook their hands, "Pleasure to meet you, are you visiting San Francisco?" he inquired.

Peter Mullen nodded, "We just got here earlier today and the hotel concierge recommended this place - that's as far as we've gotten." he admitted.

Kaitlyn nodded, "Well, it is a pretty big place, how long will you be here?" she asked them.

"Five days," Joe Sanders spoke up and shook his head, "but after looking over this travel guide - I don't know if that's enough time."

Evaline Mullen nodded, "We want to see the _real_ San Francisco, not just the tourists traps." she pointed out.

Kaitlyn looked at Derek and smiled softly, "Well, if you'd like, we could recommend some places." she offered.

Peter Mullen smiled brightly, "Come join us." he offered the two chairs open at the table.

"Thank you." Derek nodded as they sat down. He smiled when he realized this table had a good view of the door and the bar, and now they were in a group that wouldn't stick out in a place like this. "Let's see this travel guide you've got."

Joe Sanders handed the book to Derek, then unfolded and laid out the map across the table.

Kaitlyn surveyed the rest of the patrons as Derek asked the group what were the big places they really wanted to visit. _Nobody looked out of place, or stuck out like a sore thumb_. She glanced at the door as Commander Keppler came in and headed to the bar. She watched as he placed his order, then carefully surveyed the patrons. She turned her attention back to Derek as he suggested the group go to one place they've selected each day, and then go and eat and shop in the area they're in.

Kaitlyn nodded, "You'll certainly see the real San Francisco if you visit the neighborhoods around these places." she smiled softly.

"Okay." Evaline nodded, "So if we go to the Bay Bridge - where do you recommend we go?" she asked them.

"Well, I'd recommend you break it up. Spend some time in the morning on one side of the bridge, then walk across, then spend time on the other side. There are really great places around the area." Kaitlyn explained.

Derek nodded, "Kaitlyn, what's that coffee shop by the bridge - the one that has the good view of the bay and the hanger where all the transports come in?" he questioned.

"Antony's" she grinned at him. She looked at Evaline, "Antony is a real history buff about the bridge and the neighborhood around it. If you go around ten, the rush is over and he may have time to talk to you about the area." she suggested.

Derek pointed out on the map where Antony's was and showed them the neighborhood surrounding it.

Kaitlyn watched Keppler surreptitiously as she followed the conversation at the table. They continued to give their recommendations to the group as they waited for O'Dell to show up.

Jerry O'Dell arrived twenty-three minutes later and headed directly over to the bar and Keppler.

Kaitlyn watched as Keppler offered to buy Jerry a beer, but Jerry refused. Jerry quickly pulled out a PADD and Keppler pulled out his. _This was going to be a quick handoff._ She touched Derek's arm, "What time did you say the show starts?" she asked.

He had noticed Jerry come in, he quickly glanced at his watch, "In about twenty minutes - I guess we should start heading over there."

Kaitlyn nodded and smiled at Grace, then pulled out a small pad of paper and quickly wrote down a name and phone number. "There is a really good transport company that will build a tour for you based on what you want to see. Fin is a friend of mine - tell him I sent you and he won't charge you." Kaitlyn wrote her name down on the paper, then handed it to Grace.

"Well, that's awfully kind of you, Kaitlyn." Joe smiled.

She shrugged, "Fin owes me, I saved his butt a few times." She watched as Jerry left, then Keppler headed out. "It was really nice meeting all of you, I hope you get to see everything you want to." she shook their hands as everyone stood up.

Derek nodded and smiled as he shook their hands, "Have fun." He guided her out of the bar and he looked around quickly for any signs of Keppler.

Kaitlyn touched his arm gently as she spotted him walking down the street. "A walk will do us some good." she smiled.

Derek nodded as they kept on the opposite side of the street and followed Keppler. "That was very interesting how you got us at that table." he commented.

She shrugged, "That comes from my time in the college theatre." They crossed the street as Keppler turned right and headed up another street.

"How do you know that Fin fellow?" he questioned.

"Fin was in the MACOs, he injured his back - so he started his own transport company. They do really good business. He's learned how to balance out his shipping customers and the tourists." she explained as Keppler turned right onto another street. She stopped Derek and pulled out her PADD, "He's circling." She pulled up the map of the area, trying to calculate where he'd go. She frowned and touched her implant, "Donovan to Team One - do we know where he's headed?" she questioned.

"Zane here. He just got a message. The University, it's a room number in Talden Hall." he explained.

"Understood, Donovan out." Kaitlyn indicated for Derek to hail a cab. "Looks like we're going to the University." She pulled up the University's map and found the place.

Derek held the cab door open for her as she slid in.

Kaitlyn quickly gave directions and sat back. They reached the University in five minutes and stepped out.

She quickly gained her bearings and then headed to Talden Hall.

"Team Three to Donovan, what are you doing here, Ma'am?" Corporal Paulason questioned over her implant.

Kaitlyn pulled Derek over to a bench and had him sit down. "Paulason, what are you doing here?" she questioned as she quickly looked around to spot him. She saw him on the roof top of the building across from Talden Hall.

"Our target is inside, this is the lecture he was coming to tonight." he stated.

Kaitlyn frowned, _what was the likelihood that they both ended up at the same place?_ "Please note that we have two targets here now. Stay sharp." She turned to Derek as he stood up.

"Who else is here?" he questioned quickly as she handed him her handbag to hold.

"Gardner." she replied and took off her necklace and put it in the bag. She pulled out a hair clip, then twisted her hair and clipped it in an updo.

"What are you going to do?" he asked as she pulled a navy wrap out of her bag and placed it around her shoulders, then put on a pair of gold rimmed glasses. She held her PADD, then closed the handbag.

"I'm going to go sit in a lecture. I want you to go home." she directed.

Derek Williams shook his head fervently, "There's no way I'm going to leave you here alone." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn smiled softly, "I'm not alone and Gardner will recognize you, there is no way we can explain you being here with me."

He frowned, "So how are you going to explain why you're here?"

She patted his arm, "I'll think of something. Please go home, I'll call you later." she promised and quickly went inside.

Kaitlyn walked down the entry hall and followed the crowd that was arriving. She accepted one of the packets and thanked the greeter. She quickly looked over the cover. _Mining for tomorrow - the future of Paxton Industries. _She'd heard of the company. She spotted Keppler, who had gone to the front row, and Gardner was sitting on the third row. The place was filling up quickly. She selected a seat at the end of the sixth row so she could keep a watch on both of them. She frowned slightly. _They weren't sitting near each other, perhaps they weren't meeting. _She opened up the packet and quickly read the material as the speaker came to the podium.

The tall, lanky man was dressed in a very expensive suit and smiled as he gazed out at the audience. "Good evening, my name is John Frederick Paxton and I am the owner of Paxton Industries. I'm pleased that the Engineering Department has asked me to come tonight and speak to you on the future of mining techniques."

Kaitlyn pulled up the search engine on her PADD and looked for more information on Paxton Industries as she listened to the man explain how mining was changing. She found it very interesting just how much of the mining industry he controlled off planet in the system. She put her PADD up and focused as he explained the new processes.

After his presentation, he opened the floor for questions and he got quite a few. They questioned him about the impact to the environment around the mining sites, and how the new processes would affect the workers, to how much more profitable was the new process. He answered each of the questions eloquently. When he finished, he walked from the podium and went directly to Keppler.

Kaitlyn watched as Keppler handed Paxton the PADD. She turned around and found Gardner heading towards her. She smiled.

"Kaitlyn - what are you doing here?" Sam smiled brightly and touched her back gently.

"Well, I came to see if some of these techniques would help my father with his research." she admitted as she took her glasses off and put them in her handbag with her PADD.

Gardner thought carefully, "What is he researching right now?" he asked.

She kept an eye on Keppler and Paxton as they spoke to each other. "He thinks there was an environmental disaster that wiped out the inhabitants thousands of years ago in the area he's in." she explained the latest memo she'd read on her father's research.

"Well, this technique might be able to help." he nodded. "Would you like to meet Mr. Paxton?" he offered.

She smiled softly, "That would be wonderful." She saw Keppler leave out the side door.

"I'll be right back." he smiled and went over to the head of Paxton Industries.

Kaitlyn watched as Gardner spoke to Paxton, then the man looked at his watch and shook his head. Then he looked up and saw her and smiled softly. Paxton talked to Gardner for another minute, then left.

Gardner walked over and frowned, "I'm sorry, Kaitlyn - he had another appointment tonight. But," he grinned and placed her hand on his arm, "he has invited us for dinner tomorrow at Paxton Industries. He's hosting a dinner for some of his prospective investors." He walked her slowly out the building. "So, how about it?" he questioned.

"Okay. Thank you for trying to get him to speak to me tonight, maybe I'll get the chance tomorrow." she patted his arm. They stopped at the courtyard and watched as the crowd dispersed.

"I'll call him tomorrow." he smiled at her updo and gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I almost didn't recognize you in those glasses, you looked so studious. I like the hair."

Kaitlyn tilted her head slightly and smiled, "I'll remember that. I look forward to running with you in the morning."

Gardener grinned, "Need a lift home?" he offered.

"No, thanks - I'm going to go look something up in the library before I head out." she shrugged.

Sam Gardner raised an eyebrow and touched her chin gently, "See you in the morning." He ran his hand down her arm, then left.

She went over to a bench and sat down. She clicked her implant, "Give me an update on where everyone is now." she requested.

"Target one is heading to another bar, target two is at home - lights are out, and target three just got into a cab and is heading home." Corporal Paulason reported quickly. "By the way, your date is still here - he's been pacing around and making communiqués."

Kaitlyn shook her head, "Watch it, Paulason, or I'll come up there and drop kick you off the roof." she warned him about getting too personal, then she realized what he'd said. "What do you mean he's still here?" she stood up and looked around. "Where?"

"To your left, in the second alcove of the building." Paulason relayed.

She spotted Derek and started to walk over, "Thanks, talk to you in the morning." she signed off. She rounded the corner and looked at the Commander questionably. "Did you think I wouldn't find you when I've got people all over the place?" she asked him softly and placed her hand on his arm.

Derek shook his head and shrugged, "I wasn't going to leave you here." _He thought she'd be upset, but she didn't look like it. _He certainly didn't like Gardner touching her, something about the man just bothered him.

Kaitlyn heard his thoughts and smiled softly, "How about we grab a cup of coffee and you can tell me what you found out?" she suggested.

Derek Williams nodded and they walked down the street to the coffee place on the corner and got a booth in the back.

An hour later, he walked her home and said good night. He felt a little better about everything that had happened tonight. _He didn't understand what Paxton wanted with their information or how he was going to use it._ He turned and headed home. He had more questions than answers.

Kaitlyn watched as Commander Williams walked down the street. She looked around carefully as she felt someone watching her. She spotted Harris in the shadows across the street and headed over to him. "We need a 360 on Paxton." she stated.

He nodded and clasped his hands behind his back, "We've got it started." He looked at her closely, "You did well, adapting to each situation quickly tonight." _She was very good at this_. "What do you think Paxton wants?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, but I should find out some answers tomorrow night."

Harris nodded, "I hope so. Good work tonight."

She turned and headed back across the street to her apartment.

Kaitlyn opened the door and reached for the light switch and was quickly slammed, head first, against the wall. Darkness engulfed her.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Thank you to LoyaulteMeLie and Hummingbird2 for leaving reviews.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 10

Kaitlyn woke up with a jolt as hands were moving over her body. She made a fist and jabbed her attacker.

"Ma'am - it's okay. You're safe, we're here with you." a familiar voice said as he quickly jumped back.

Kaitlyn's eyes focused on her surroundings. She was lying on the floor of her living room, with at least five MACOs around her. Her head started to throb to the beat of her pulse. She closed her eyes and winced as she touched her forehead and felt the huge bump and a gash. She opened her eyes and tried to sit up.

"It would be wise for you to stay still, until I've checked your injures." Doctor Phlox said as he kneeled down beside her and opened up his kit.

"How long have I been out?" she asked Lance Corporal Rutledge as the doctor scanned her.

Rutledge frowned and came down on one knee, "We're not sure, Ma'am. When did you get attacked?" he asked softly as he pulled his PADD out to make a report.

"As soon as I stepped in the damn door!" she yelled. She clenched her fists and tried to calm down. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be yelling at you." she quickly apologized.

"I understand, Ma'am." Rutledge looked over his shoulder. "Where were all of the targets then?" he questioned another MACO.

"O'Dell and Gardner were at home and Keppler was still at the bar. It wasn't them, it was someone else." Lance Corporal Vinson stated.

Rutledge nodded, "Search around the area and see if we can find any evidence left behind. Get the feeds from the apartment security and copy them." he directed the other MACOs and they quickly left.

Doctor Phlox smiled softly as he finished cleaning the gash, "Well, you do have a mild concussion with a small gash and your throat is bruised, but I think you'll be just fine, Lieutenant." He helped her sit up slowly and watched as she fought a wave of dizziness. He frowned, "Help me get her to the couch." he requested.

Lance Corporal Rutledge gently eased her up and walked her over to the couch. He stepped outside as he received a communiqué.

Kaitlyn touched her throat gently. She hadn't noticed that it was sore, probably because of the immediate pain in her head. She looked around her living room and winced at the mess. Whoever had knocked her out had tossed the place.

Doctor Phlox gave her a hypo and sat down beside her. He ran the scan over her again and was taken aback by the readings. "Lieutenant, the readings indicate that bruise from earlier today is almost gone, and that your ribs are almost completely healed. How is that possible?" he questioned her.

She looked at the doctor's bright blue eyes, "I heal quickly, doctor." she shrugged.

He frowned. _Her answer did not explain this phenomenon_. He looked up as Rutledge came back in.

"Ma'am, Admiral Forrest is on his way and so is Major Hayes." he informed her.

She looked at Rutledge and frowned. She closed her eyes and leaned on her knees. _That's all she needed right now._ She took a deep breath, then sat up slowly. "Do we know what they were looking for?" she questioned.

"All of your electronics are still here, though it looks like they had your computer on. Where's your PADD?" he asked.

She pointed to her handbag on the floor.

Rutledge walked over and picked it up, "It's not in here, Ma'am." He pulled out her phase pistol, "They didn't take your weapon." _That would have been a load of paperwork to fill out. _"What information did you have on your PADD?"

She leaned back on the couch, "Nothing. Everything gets automatically stored in my off site account and gets erased off the PADD as soon as I read it. It memory wipes every hour."

"That's some kind of security, Ma'am." Rutledge quickly typed more information into his report.

Doctor Phlox wondered why she felt such a security precaution was needed, but then he guessed she was right to take such measures if things like this happened. "Lieutenant, why don't you go change and pack a bag - I'm sure they're not going to let you stay here tonight." he suggested.

Kaitlyn nodded and stood up, "Thank you, Doctor Phlox."

He gave her a huge smile, "Not a problem, Lieutenant."

Kaitlyn walked into her bedroom and shut the door. She pulled her bag out of the closet and threw in an assortment of clothes for tomorrow, then got a newly ironed uniform out and laid it on the bed beside her bag. She went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She touched her throat where bruising from finger marks were evident. _Why would her attacker choke her?_ She'd been knocked out. _Unless she'd woken up._ She frowned as she tried to remember if she had. Her mind was blank. She quickly put her toiletries into her bag and zipped it up.

Kaitlyn came back out and found Forrest and Hayes questioning Lance Corporal Rutledge. They looked over her quickly and moved closer to her.

"Are you alright?" Forrest asked quickly as he noticed her gash, then the marks around her throat.

"I'm fine, just a bump and a gash - right, Doctor?" she looked to Doctor Phlox for confirmation.

"She has a mild concussion, but she'll be just fine." the doctor pointed out.

Major Hayes frowned that she had left that little detail out.

"You should take tomorrow off." Admiral Forrest stated.

She shook her head, "No, Sir. I've got at least two meetings that I know of tomorrow that I've got to go to find out what is going on." she found her voice raising, then sighed softly. "I'll rest on Sunday." she promised.

Forrest nodded slowly, _there was no use arguing with her now._ He took a deep breath, "I'm glad you're okay, Lieutenant. I'll see you in the morning." he turned and looked at Major Hayes. "Make sure she stays somewhere safe and send me the report when you're done here." he directed.

Major Hayes nodded, "Yes, Sir."

Doctor Phlox looked at Donovan, "Do you often lose your temper?"

Hayes narrowed his eyes at her, "No, she doesn't. She's usually very calm." he pointed out.

Phlox looked at her with concern, "That's twice in the past hour. If you are still having trouble tomorrow, I want you to come by my office so that I can run further scans of your frontal lobe." he directed her.

Hayes nodded to the doctor, "I'll make sure she comes by if she keeps flying off the handle." he promised.

The doctor looked slightly confused by his colloquialism, then he realized what the man meant. "Very well, get a good rest tonight, Lieutenant."

Kaitlyn nodded, then looked at Hayes as the doctor left.

"Come on, let's get you back to the office - you can sleep on one of the cots there." he directed and indicated for her to move along.

Rutledge walked with them down the stairs.

Hayes looked at the Lance Corporal, "Wrap the investigation up, lock the doors, and come back to the office to finish up your report." he directed the young man.

"Yes, Sir." Rutledge acknowledged then quickly went back up to the apartment.

Donovan got into the waiting shuttle with Hayes and the pilot quickly took off as soon as the hatch was closed.

Hayes looked at her softly as he sat back, "What happened?"

Kaitlyn frowned and sat back, "I let my guard down. Commander Williams had just walked me home, I'd talked to Harris across the street, and then I went inside." she shrugged and absently touched her throat.

Hayes frowned at the bruising, "You got knocked out by the wall - did you wake up?" he inquired.

"I can't remember if I did or not, but why would they choke me otherwise?" she wondered.

_Choking someone was very personal, she'd either seen her attacker or knew him_. He watched her carefully, "Maybe after you sleep, you'll remember more."

"Possibly." she said, but she didn't count on it.

They headed into the MACO offices after the pilot dropped them off. He opened the door to one of their overnight rooms that held four cots and wall lockers.

"I'm going to get an update from the teams." Hayes said and went to his office.

Kaitlyn hung her uniform up and put her bag on the shelf in the wall locker.

When she turned around, Harris was standing at the door.

"I'm sorry, Kaitlyn. I should have known that someone might come after you, since you're in charge of keeping Forrest safe." Harris frowned. "We'll make sure that we keep you secure."

She shook her head, "I don't need people watching me - I already have enough teams running around keeping eyes on everyone else. I won't let my guard down again." she reassured him.

He held up a scanner and indicated her throat.

She lifted her chin and allowed him to take deep scans of the tissue, "Fingerprints?" she questioned.

_He was hoping._ He shook his head, "Gloves. Well, I'll have the forensic team estimate the build of your attacker from this." He put the scanner up, then pulled out a replacement PADD for her. "Same security features as the last one." He glanced at the door, "Kaitlyn, they came because they picked up a transmission from you." he explained.

She frowned, _why hadn't they told her? _She headed for Hayes' office.

"Why didn't you tell me that you'd gotten a transmission from me?" she demanded.

Major Hayes frowned, "Kaitlyn. . "

"I want to hear it - it may help me remember." she pointed out.

He clicked on his monitor. "Evidently you'd activated your implant and this is what we heard."

She listened carefully.

"What are you doing?" she heard herself say, then she heard something crash and break.

"You? Why?" she questioned, then she heard herself gasping for air. Then the transmission stopped abruptly.

Hayes watched her as she listened to the transmission. He raised his eyebrow when he saw something register across her face. "What is it?"

Kaitlyn shook her head slightly. She turned and left. _Her attacker had known she had a communication implant and had turned it off. _She went back to the room. It didn't surprise her that Harris had left. She grabbed her pt clothes and her shower gear, then headed to the locker room.

She was fuming. Annoyed that she had seen her attacker, but couldn't remember who it was. Livid that she had obviously recognized who her attacker was. _Infuriated that she didn't know who she could trust anymore. _She closed her eyes tightly as she stood under the hot water of the shower and focused on taking deep, calming breaths to keep her blood pressure from skyrocketing.

She found Major Hayes on one of the other cots and leaning against the wall when she came back to the room. She frowned slightly, then put her bag up and kicked off her shower shoes and climbed under the blanket on her cot. _She didn't want to talk to him right now_. She turned away from him.

Hayes reached up and flipped the light off. He'd keep a watch over her tonight, even if she didn't feel like talking to him. After she'd left the room earlier, he'd realized what she'd figured out from listening to the transmission. The attacker knew about her communication implant and had turned it off. He frowned, _she wasn't going to be able to trust anyone_. He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. He was going to make it his task to find out who her attacker was.

0645 - Bay Park

Kaitlyn smiled softly as she and Sam Gardner had settled into a comfortable jogging pace through the path of the park.

"So, did you find out what you needed to at the library?" Gardner asked.

"No, I just ended up with more questions - but I'm sure I'll figure it out." she said as they passed an older couple walking on the path.

"I'm sure you will, you seem like a very determined woman." he smiled as he glanced at her.

She chuckled softly as they passed a few more walkers.

They continued to run through the paths until they came back to the fountain.

"That was a good run." he commented as he pulled their bags out of the lockers.

She patted her face and nodded, "Yes, a nice easy pace to start the day."

He raised an eyebrow, "Are you saying the pace was too slow?"

"I would never say that to you, Captain." she smiled and sipped her water.

"What do you run?" he questioned as he put his bag over his shoulder.

"Three miles in under fifteen minutes." she shrugged as they started to walk out of the park.

He chuckled, "I don't usually haul ass like that unless I'm being chased."

She turned and stepped closer to him, "Wouldn't do any good to be chased and then find out you can't run that fast." she pointed out softly.

He smiled, "That sounds like a challenge."

"How about we go get breakfast before we start challenging each others' abilities?" she suggested.

He nodded and they walked down the street to the small cafe and got a table on the patio. He handed her a menu from the center of the table as the waitress came over quickly.

They placed their order and their coffees were quickly delivered.

"I've only come here a couple of times." Gardner admitted to her.

Kaitlyn sipped her coffee, "I come here a couple times a week when I'm in town." She watched as he decided something, then leaned forward.

"Tell me, why are the MACOs encroaching into Starfleet Security territory by guarding Admiral Forrest?" he questioned her.

She set her cup down. Of all of the things he could ask her, she didn't expect him to ask this first. She shrugged, "It's more of a public relations move." she admitted.

"How so?" Gardner frowned.

She sat back in the chair, "Have you seen the Starfleet Security training? I mean, it's good - but it's not all encompassing." she tapped the table. "The crews aren't going to just stay on the ships, are they?" she asked.

Gardner shook his head and watched her closely as he sipped his coffee.

Kaitlyn leaned forward and spoke quietly, "Not every species they encounter will be friendly, not every terrain they go to will be a city. Their basic training is not enough. I'm hoping that Starfleet will call upon us when they realize they need us." she shrugged.

Sam Gardner nodded slowly as their food was placed before them. He was still quiet for a few minutes while they ate.

Kaitlyn didn't mind the silence. It was so peaceful outside today. She finished her eggs and hash browns and leaned back and closed her eyes and let the warmth of the sun shine on her face. She could feel his eyes on her. "What?" she questioned, her eyes still closed.

"How did you know I'm looking at you?" he wondered.

She opened her eyes, "I usually know what's going on around me." She took another sip of water, "It was a nice run today." She smiled and stood up. "What time should I meet you at Paxton Industries?" she put down her part of the bill.

"The dinner starts at 1900, so let's meet there at 1830. I'll call Mr. Paxton and see if he can speak with you." he smiled.

"See you then." she waved as she headed down the street. She glanced back and noted that he was still watching her.

Kaitlyn still didn't know who to trust and who not to trust. She smiled when she thought of someone who might be able to help her, if he was as good as she got the impression that he was.

0815 - Starfleet Headquarters

Kaitlyn knocked on the open door.

Commander Derek William's came over quickly, "Are you okay?" he asked quickly. He'd worried since he got the message from the Admiral last night, but the Admiral had assured him she was fine. He should have walked her to her door, he should have made sure she'd gotten inside alright. He frowned.

She nodded, "I'm fine, but I have a favor to ask . . ."

1230 - Starfleet Weapons Complex

Lieutenant Reed looked up as he got a message he had a visitor at the front desk. He logged off his computer and quickly headed down to the front desk.

Commander Derek Williams nodded as Lieutenant Reed approached. _He wondered why Kaitlyn thought she could trust this man_. Granted, he was Starfleet Security, and he was the Ordinance Officer that had disabled the bombs - _but how could she be sure that he wasn't in cahoots with Keppler?_ He took a deep breath, she had to have her reasons.

Lt. Reed had recognized the Commander from reading over the files of everyone involved with the Enterprise, since he was investigating into who made the bombs. "Commander Williams, how can I help you today?" he shook the man's hand.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2 - I'm glad you caught the foreshadowing.

LoyaulteMeLie - I'm happy your still intrigued. I hope this chapter will be just as compelling.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 11

1245 - outside Starfleet Weapons Complex

Lt. Reed listened carefully as Commander Williams filled him in with everything that had happened and handed him a PADD. "So, Lt. Donovan would like for me to discreetly find out the whereabouts of all of these people last night?" he questioned.

Williams nodded, "I know it's unorthodox, but she's not sure who to trust in Starfleet Security or the MACOs right now - she seems to think she can trust you." he watched Reed closely.

Lt. Reed raised his eyebrows, "And you don't?" he inquired.

Williams frowned, "I didn't say that."

Reed studied the man before him, "Well, she obviously trusts you - if she's having you make this request." he pointed out.

"I think she does." Commander Williams sighed and looked around the grounds of Starfleet. He felt guilty about what happened to her last night. _ He was probably only a few minutes away when she was attacked. _He pointed to the PADD, "Send her a message from that when you've got information to tell her. She said the thing is special and no one will be able to trace it." he emphasized to the Lieutenant.

Lt. Malcolm Reed smiled softly, "Please tell Lt. Donovan that I understand and I'll start working on her request."

Commander Williams nodded and shook the man's hand, "Thank you, Lieutenant."

Reed waited until Williams had walked away, then he sat down on a nearby bench and took a quick look at the PADD. He smirked as he looked over its operating system. _This was definitely not Starfleet issue._ He clicked on the icon that was labeled 'Introductions'.

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan appeared on the screen. "Good afternoon, Lieutenant Reed. I'm Lieutenant Donovan. I first want to thank you for disarming the two bombs that were on the Enterprise. Secondly, thank you for helping me. I was told that I couldn't meet with you - so, here is the PADD we can communicate on, without technically 'meeting' each other." she smiled softly. She touched her throat gently, then frowned and got down to business. "I have included on this PADD some other information that may help you in locating the maker of the bombs. Did they contain tri-cobalt in them? I remembered that I met a man on a previous assignment that had mentioned obtaining some. I've included the information about him on this PADD. Thank you for your help." her image quickly went away.

Lt. Reed found the information on the PADD about the tri-cobalt and nodded to himself on this new lead. He put the PADD in his pocket and headed back inside. He decided by the time he got back to the lab that he would start a search for the 'tri-cobalt man' she'd mentioned, then he would use his skills to find out where all of the people on her list had been last night. He typed in his inquiry and got to work.

1330 - Starfleet Headquarters

Lt. Donovan looked up as Commander Williams came into the office. She raised her eyebrow in question.

Williams nodded and stopped beside her. "He said he'd get to work on it." He looked at his watch, "It's about time to leave for the meeting at the Dock Yards."

"The Admiral's ready. I think he's a bit nervous meeting with Keppler up there." she said softly. "I reminded him that he has nothing to worry about, that we've already secured the Dock Yards."

He frowned at the fading bruising at her throat, "I think he's more worried about you, than himself." he pointed out.

She lifted her chin, "He needn't worry about me."

Admiral Forrest came out when he heard Williams in the outer office. "Rather long lunch today, Commander." He caught the look between the two of them.

Lt. Donovan cleared her throat, "He was on an errand for me, Admiral. I'm sorry if that has delayed our departure." she apologized quickly.

Maxwell Forest smiled, "We're not late, I just wanted to give the Commander a hard time - he hardly ever takes more than twenty minutes for lunch."

Lt. O'Dell came over to the Admiral, "Sir, when you get back, we should start to work on your speech for next week." he suggested as he handed him a PADD to sign.

Admiral Forrest looked over the PADD and signed the requisition order for supplies, "Why don't you let me work on that tomorrow, then we can go over it on Monday."

O'Dell nodded, "Yes, Sir. I'll schedule some time on Monday."

Forrest smiled softly, then they headed out. "How's your head feeling this afternoon?" he asked Donovan as she stepped out the door first and surveyed the area quickly as they walked to the shuttle.

"I'm doing well, Admiral." she reassured him as she nodded to Ensign Mayweather. "Good afternoon, Ensign. All is well?" she questioned him.

"Yes, Ma'am." Ensign Mayweather answered and shook the Admiral's hand.

1400 - Dock Yards orbiting Earth

Lt. Donovan stood at the Conference room door and listened as Captain Archer detailed the flight trajectory for the Enterprise next Friday.

Archer indicated on the monitor when the Enterprise would accelerate to Warp Three. "We'll go out for an hour, then come back." he explained as the animation on the screen showed the flight path.

"Everything is still on schedule?" Forrest inquired as he sat back.

Archer looked at Commander Keppler, "As long as nothing else gets planted on my ship." He stepped closer to the man, "Commander, have you found out how those two bombs were put on the Enterprise?" he questioned.

Commander Keppler frowned, "No, Captain - but we are following some reliable leads."

Archer shook his head, "Not good enough!" He wanted to throttle the man to get the truth out of him.

Forrest cleared his throat, "Captain, I'm sure the Commander is doing everything he can - and now that the new protocols are in place, Enterprise is safe."

Lt. Commander Rhodes stepped into the conversation, "Captain, the new security protocols are in place. No explosives will get on board the Enterprise."

Archer looked at Keppler's Second-in-Command and frowned, "Says you."

Rhodes nodded, "Yes, Sir." he glanced at Donovan. "The protocols she has outlined have redundancies."

Archer watched as Keppler's eyes narrowed in Donovan's direction. He smiled inwardly,_ she had messed up Keppler's plans._ He cleared his throat, "Commander, I want you to show us all of the new protocols." he directed.

Commander Keppler frowned, "With all due respect, Captain - I do have other duties to attend to."

Admiral Forrest stood up, "But I'm sure that none of them are as important as the new security protocols." He watched Keppler closely, "You will show all of us, Commander."

Keppler nodded quickly, "Of course, Admiral." He quickly waved for them to head out the door.

Commander Keppler led them through the Dock Yards and indicated the new protocols recently put in place.

Lt. Donovan watched as Keppler showed them the station that all parts and materials were scanned on before they went through the Enterprise airlock. She frowned as he moved on. "Commander, why don't you have this station set to scan for biogenetic components?" she questioned.

The group turned their attention to her, then looked at Keppler.

Commander Keppler walked over to her and the station, "Lieutenant, if you have questions for me, you should wait until we have finished." he suggested.

Archer walked back over to them, he looked at Donovan questionably, "Why would they need to scan for biogenetic components?" he asked her curiously.

Lt. Donovan watched Keppler carefully, "Captain, if the scanners aren't set to look for biogenetic components, it won't detect biomimetic materials. The way the settings are now, it may not detect the tri-cobalt explosives." she pointed out to them.

Keppler glared at Donovan, "It will detect tri-cobalt explosives the way it is set." he stated firmly.

She shook her head, "Only if there is more than a pound of it in the item scanned. The two bombs had less than half a pound in them - that's why I specifically stated to have the scanners check for biogenetic components, in order to cover the gaps in the scans." she stepped closer to Keppler and clenched her fists. She fought the urge to knock him out and haul him off to Harris,_ surely she could find some other way to find the maker of the bomb. _She took a deep breath and turned to Captain Archer. "Everything that has passed through this scanner in the past few days will have to be re-scanned using hand scanners. They're not as thorough as this scanner, but we can modify them to look for specific components." she explained to him.

Admiral Forrest touched Donovan's arm gently to keep her calm, he'd seen the fury in her eyes. "How long will it take to use the hand scanners?" he asked softly.

Lt. Donovan went to the station and pulled up the lists of items that had been scanned the past few days and frowned. "I believe there are 23 hand scanners assigned to the Dock Yards, it will take approximately 13 hours." she calculated.

"Thirteen hours?" Keppler demanded. "We don't have the time to re-scan everything - we're already on a tight timeline!" he raised his voice.

She sighed softly, "The problem is that all of the items have to be accounted for in the place they were destined, then scanned. If the item isn't where it's supposed to be," she shrugged, "that's a whole other issue." She looked at Keppler and frowned.

Keppler was furious, "You don't know the problems you've just caused." he seethed and walked over to the scanner and quickly set it up to also scan for biomimetic components.

Forrest, Archer, and Williams quickly discussed getting more hand scanners and personnel sent up to the Dock Yards.

Donovan watched as Keppler set the scanner.

He turned to her and narrowed his eyes as he moved closer to her, "You need to mind your own business." he sneered.

She raised her eyebrow, "The safety of the Admiral and this ship are my business right now. If you had taken the proper precautions that I outlined, you wouldn't be in hot water." she countered.

He grabbed her arm, "You want us to run scans of every component that will double the time to process each item - we don't have that kind of time for a such a stupid request."

She looked at his arm, then back to him. "You will let go of my arm, or you are going to find out just how many of your bones I can break before they stop me."

He blinked, then dropped his hand and stepped back. "Are you threatening me, Lieutenant?" he raised his voice to get the others' attention.

She smiled at his tactics and stepped closer to him, "I'm making a promise to you - if I find out you had anything to do with those bombs, I will make sure that you are dealt with in a most painful way."

"Is there a problem, Lieutenant?" Admiral Forrest inquired. He grew concerned over how close they were standing to each other.

She smiled at the Admiral and stepped away from Keppler, "No, Sir. I believe the Commander and I understand each other perfectly. Don't we?" she glanced at Keppler.

Commander Robert Keppler nodded and swore to himself that he was going deal with her later. "Come along, gentlemen, there are a few more protocols to show you." he ushered them along.

As they stopped into the Conference room again, they quickly made all of the arrangements to start re-scanning every item that had been brought on board the ship the past two days.

Lt. Donovan nodded as they approached the shuttle. "Ensign?" she inquired.

"The shuttle was checked over, Ma'am." he nodded.

"By whom?" she questioned.

"Lt. Cmdr. Rhodes, Ma'am. Cpl. Torres and I kept an eye on him." He stood up straighter as the Admiral approached.

Forrest looked at Keppler, "Keep me informed on the progress of the scans. I'll send another team up within an hour."

Keppler nodded and left.

"Mind if I hitch a ride?" Jonathan Archer asked Forrest.

Maxwell Forrest smiled, "The more the merrier."

They climbed in and Mayweather started the engines and requested permission to depart.

Commander Williams sat next to Kaitlyn, "What was up between you and Keppler?" he questioned.

She shook her head, "He was just being himself. He grabbed my arm and I told him to let go in no uncertain terms."

Derek Williams slapped his hand on his knee, "Why didn't you tell us?"

She frowned at him, "It wouldn't help the situation. If I was sure we didn't need him anymore, I would have taken him down myself. Unfortunately, we still need him." She sat back as the shuttle took off and headed back down to Starfleet Headquarters.

Commander Williams leaned back and closed his eyes.

Forrest looked over at Donovan, "Who can we get up here to oversee that all of the Security Protocols are followed, all of the time? I can't leave Keppler in charge - it's too big of a risk." he scowled.

Lt. Donovan glanced at Commander Williams, then back to Forrest, "Lieutenant Reed." she suggested.

Archer looked up, "The Ordinance Officer that disarmed the bombs?" He looked at Forrest, "He would know the explosive materials to look for and the possible places to conceal them."

Forrest nodded, "Okay, I'll contact him as soon as we return."

The blast came from the back of the shuttle.

The small shuttle was sent into a rolling spin and caused the passengers to be thrown out of their seats.

Ensign Travis Mayweather's muscles' tensed as he fought with the controls and tried to counter the spin and level out. He gritted his teeth as he stopped the spin, but he couldn't slow their rapid descent.

Archer got up off the floor quickly and took note of all the readings on the controls, "The engine is off-line, I'll try to re-start it." he glanced at the young pilot. "Keep the nose up and try to slow us down." He moved to the back and opened up a panel and began re-routing some of the wiring.

Donovan frowned. The one fear she had was crashing, it had stemmed from a previous crash she'd been in with her father when she was ten. She looked at Forrest quickly, "You have your emergency button?" she questioned him.

Maxwell Forrest nodded and pulled it out of his pocket.

"Take it out and press it now." she directed and stood up.

The Admiral frowned, but went ahead and pressed the button. A few seconds later he dematerialized.

Commander Williams stood up, "It was a transport beacon? I didn't think the transporters had been cleared for people yet!" He was worried about where his boss had just ended up, but as he looked out the window at the ground they were quickly heading for, he decided that even being vaporized into nonexistence might be better than their fate.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2 - I love cliffhangers :)

LoyaulteMeLie - I'm happy your still intrigued. I hope this chapter will be just as compelling.

TokoronaSh - Glad you like it.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 12

Maxwell Forrest quickly patted himself to make sure he was all intact after he rematerialized. He looked around to see who was near. He spotted the one responsible for his emergency button. "Beam the rest of them out of that shuttle!" he demanded.

Harris walked over to the Admiral and shook his head slowly, "They are going too fast, Admiral. The only way we got you off is because of the beacon. I already have rescue teams ready, we'll just have to see if that Boomer is as good a pilot as you've been touting." Harris walked Forrest over to the huge monitors along one of the walls.

One of the monitors showed the rate of descent and the path of the shuttle as it continued to fall towards the Earth. Another monitor showed the three rescue boats ready to go.

"Let's hope that Mayweather aims for the water." Harris commented softly.

Forrest frowned, he hated just waiting. Especially since he'd just been there with them. "There's got to be something we can do!" he clenched his fists.

Harris raised as eyebrow, "Are you a praying man, Admiral?"

Admiral Forrest's Shuttle

Captain Archer had managed to get more thruster power to the helm, but the engines couldn't be coaxed. He stood up as the water filled up more of the view out the window. He glanced at Williams and Donovan as he rushed to the Co-Pilot's seat, "Strap in and get ready." He quickly strapped himself in and watched the young pilot as he lifted the nose of the shuttle up, then slowly down to slow down their descent. "You're doing good, Ensign." he gave him a small smile.

Mayweather nodded, but kept his eyes firmly fixed on the approaching water. They were coming in pretty fast, but he'd managed to get them gliding parallel to the water. With any luck, he could plunk the shuttle down into the water without them flipping end over end.

**Thwak. **

Jonathon Archer's head smacked into the console as the back of the shuttle hit the water, then they lifted up again.

**Thwak. **

This time, he'd braced his arms out to keep from hitting the console again. He felt his shoulder dislocate with a painful sound. _Okay, maybe he shouldn't have braced himself like that._ He frowned as the pain swept through his shoulder. He glanced over at the young pilot that kept his focus on bumping the shuttle in the water to slow them down. _Mayweather was good - really good._

**Thwak.**

Commander Williams looked up as the shuttle finally stopped and settled in the water. He glanced over at Donovan. She was hunched over and had her fists clenched. "Are you okay, Lieutenant?" he asked.

Kaitlyn Donovan sat up quickly and nodded.

Williams frowned slightly. She looked really pale, like she was going to collapse right then and there. He unhooked his straps and stood up slowly and held on to her arm as she stood up beside him, "You're sure?"

Donovan quickly took a deep breath and regained her composure, "Captain Archer, did you dislocate your shoulder?" she questioned as she went over to him.

Archer nodded and winced as he turned in the seat.

"Let me put it back in place, you're not going to be able to swim with it like that. The winds are causing some pretty big white caps." She put her left arm on his shoulder, then took hold of his arm, "Can the both of you swim well?" she questioned the others. While Archer was slightly distracted, she quickly popped his shoulder back in place.

Archer let out a sharp curse, then breathed deeply as the pain quickly subsided. He closed his eyes and focused on not throwing up.

Donovan touched the young Ensign's arm, "Please open the upper hatch, Ensign." she directed him. He looked a bit dazed, probably from all of the adrenaline that had been pumping through his system. "Travis," she called to him. He looked up at her slowly. "You did a damn fine job at keeping us alive and keeping the shuttle whole. Thank you." she smiled softly.

His eyes became clearer and more focused, "You're welcome, Ma'am." he nodded, then went to go open the hatch.

Donovan helped Archer stand up and get his sea legs before she let go of him, "Can you climb out on your own?" she questioned him.

Archer nodded, "I think so." he headed to the back of the shuttle.

Mayweather climbed out and leaned over to give Archer a hand up.

Donovan waved for Commander Williams to go first. She grabbed the emergency pack from under the storage bench and activated the emergency beacon, stuck it on the ceiling of the shuttle, then climbed out after Williams.

They slid off the roof of the shuttle as it began to sink. They swam towards the Bay Bridge in the distance.

Archer looked over at Donovan, "How far do you think, Lieutenant?" he questioned.

"About two miles, maybe three. But, if I know Admiral Forrest, he'll have the boats out here to pick us up before we're out here too long." she stated. She stayed by Archer as they swam to make sure he didn't go under.

Archer grinned, "You are going to be in big trouble with him - he didn't know that was a transport beacon, did he?"

She chuckled softly, "Oh well, I haven't gotten chewed out in a while." Really, she didn't care if she did get chewed out - the fact was, they were alive and not splattered across the ground thanks to Mayweather's piloting skills. She thought back to the moment of the blast. "Ensign, it seemed like the blast came from the back, right side of the shuttle - is that correct?"

He glanced back at her as he slowed his strokes, "I think so, it was the right stabilizers that gave out first."

Archer nodded, "That's what it felt like." He looked back at where the shuttle had been, "We can analyze the shuttle, if they can pull her up."

Williams agreed, "We'll have the Harbor Patrol bring it in. Who sabotaged the shuttle? Certainly this wasn't a coincidence." he stated.

Mayweather frowned, "The only person that came near the shuttle was Lt. Cmdr. Rhodes - Corporal Torres and I watched him carefully." _He didn't understand it._ He sighed softly and kept swimming.

Donovan narrowed her eyes in search of the boats she heard in the distance, "Just a few more minutes and they'll be here."

Archer squinted and saw the boats coming, "Good ears, Lieutenant." he winced as his shoulder decided to remind him that he'd injured it.

They were quickly hauled out of the water and wrapped up with blankets as the boat they were on headed back, while the other two boats stayed to track down the shuttle.

They were taken to the infirmary to get checked out and given grey sweat suits to change into to get out of their drenched uniforms.

Admiral Forrest came through the doors and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw they were all in one piece. He spoke to each one of them quietly.

Forrest worked his way over to Donovan, "I never thought I'd go through one of those things, and I can't say that I ever will again. Thank you, Kaitlyn." he smiled softly and squeezed her arm gently.

She was slightly taken back by him using her given name, "There's nothing quite like that first time." she recovered quickly and shrugged.

He wondered just how many times she'd been through the transporter. "They're having trouble pulling up the shuttle." he admitted softly to her.

She frowned, "Admiral, we need to question Lt. Commander Rhodes, he was inspecting the shuttle before we left." she informed him.

Forrest nodded, "I've already spoken to Lt. Reed - he's on his way up to oversee the Dock Yard Security - I'll have him detain Rhodes for questioning." He motioned for Commander Williams to come over.

She looked at her watch. It was after 1700. "Admiral, I need to be leaving soon to get to my next meeting." she reminded him softly. She looked up as Cpl. Buchannan arrived. She nodded to him as he stood a few feet from Forrest to take his shift.

He'd forgotten she was going to Paxton Industries with Captain Gardner. "Do you have enough people watching over you?" Forrest asked.

"I'll contact you when I'm done." Kaitlyn promised. She was about to leave, but his comment was bothering her. She turned back around, "What kind of trouble are they having with the shuttle?" she inquired.

Admiral Forrest frowned, "Evidently, it has sunk into a crevice. We're going to have to wait on the Sub-Surface Recovery Vessel, but it will take two days for it to arrive."

She was sure that Ambassador Soval would not be happy with her suggestion as she spoke quietly to the Admiral.

Forrest blinked, "They can do that?" he was skeptical.

"It is not widely known, and I'm sure they'd like to keep it that way. The shuttle is far enough away from shore that no one will see their ship. If we can get a flatbed boat out there, they can put the shuttle on it." Kaitlyn explained.

"Ambassador Soval seems to think highly of you. It's your idea, I think you should ask him for their assistance." he crossed his arms over his chest and smiled softly. _There was no way he could ask for the Vulcan's help when he wasn't supposed to know about the capabilities of their ships._

She sighed softly as she tried to decide just how quickly she needed that shuttle to be inspected - _could they afford to wait two days?_ "Would you arrange a meeting with him in an hour? I've got to clean up, first." she waved at the grey sweat suit she was wearing.

Forrest nodded, "I'll send you a message."

Lt. Donovan walked away slowly and headed to her apartment.

By the time she got out of her shower and had her emerald silk dress on, the message from Forrest was already waiting for her. She touched the icon and read the message quickly. _Meet Ambassador Soval -1800 at the Vulcan Embassy. _She quickly finished getting ready and headed out the door.

Kaitlyn gave the address of the Vulcan Embassy to the cab driver and sat back to collect her thoughts.

The cab driver turned to her as he stopped the vehicle, "Are you sure this is the right address?" he questioned.

She smiled as she paid him for the fair and a generous tip, "Yes, this is the place. I'd appreciate it if you'd wait for me. Hopefully this won't take me too long."

"I'll have to restart the meter." he pointed out.

"That will be fine. I'll be back." she promised as she got out and went to the gates.

She nodded to the two Vulcan guards, "Lt. Donovan for an 1800 appointment with Ambassador Soval." she stated and showed them her ID.

One of them looked over her ID carefully, then nodded and the gates were opened. The other guard led her inside to the reception area where one of the Ambassador's Aides was waiting for her.

Sub Commander T'Vos raised an eyebrow at her attire, then motioned for her to follow.

The Sub Commander led her out to the gardens and took her down a path to a table where Ambassador Soval waited.

Donovan bowed slightly to the Ambassador as he stood up.

"Please, Lieutenant have a seat and explain the urgent matter that has brought you here." he indicated the chair for her, then sent the Sub Commander away. Soval sat down and poured each of them a cup of hot tea.

She accepted the cup, "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Ambassador." She took a sip of the tea while she decided upon her approach. "Ambassador, a little over an hour ago Admiral Forrest's shuttle crashed into the Bay."

Soval steepled his fingers and watched her, "We were pleased to learn that no one was seriously injured. Do you think the shuttle was sabotaged?" he questioned.

"Yes." she stated firmly.

"You have already analyzed the shuttle?" he inquired. _He knew they hadn't yet._

"Ambassador Soval, I'm here to ask for your assistance. The shuttle has fallen into a crevice in the Bay and it will take two days for our Sub-Surface Recovery Vessel to arrive to pull it up. We don't have that kind of time in this investigation to wait around for two days." Donovan stated.

The Ambassador looked at her curiously, "What could we possibly do to help you?"

_She wondered what Vulcan prisons were like_, because if she didn't say this just right - she could very well end up in one. She watched him carefully and leaned closer, "Ambassador Soval, the MACOs deal with off world people more than Starfleet probably realizes - that's how our equipment and weapons are at least five years ahead of Starfleet's gear." she shrugged. "The point is, we talk to other people and they talk to us." She sat back, "I'd like for you to have the T'Shaira come into the Earth's atmosphere and use its tractor beam to pull the shuttle out of the Bay and set it on our flatbed boat, so that we can analyze the shuttle." she explained.

Ambassador Soval worked very hard at controlling his facial features. He continued to watch her as he sipped his tea. _How in the world did she know about the tractor beams?_ _Who were these off world people that knew about Vulcan ship capabilities? _He set his cup down, then stood up.

Lt. Donovan stood up slowly.

He looked at her and took note of her attire, "You have another engagement this evening?" he inquired.

"Yes, Ambassador - another lead to follow in this investigation." she nodded.

"Lieutenant, I cannot confirm that we have such technology. I will make inquiries." Soval stated.

"Thank you, Ambassador." she bowed, then followed the path back to the reception hall, then out the gates to the waiting cab.

"Did everything go okay?" the driver asked.

"Just peachy." she sighed and gave him the address of Paxton Industries.

1820 - Paxton Industries Headquarters

Kaitlyn looked around the huge glass atrium of Paxton Industries. She glanced up at the balcony of the second floor where the string quartet was playing and the clinking of dinnerware floated down to the first floor.

She smiled softly to the elegantly dressed couples as they headed up the sweeping curved staircase. She walked over to the one object in the center of the atrium that was on a black box pedestal that was spot lighted by seven beams of light. She leaned over and looked closely at the six foot replica of a circular mining facility, taking note of its design. She stood back up as she heard footsteps approaching.

"Lieutenant Donovan." Captain Gardner called and smiled when she turned to him.

He walked over with Paxton. "Mr. Paxton, this is Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan. Lieutenant, this is Mr. Paxton." he introduced them.

John Paxton shook her hand and smiled, "I'm sorry that I didn't have time to speak with you last night." he apologized.

Kaitlyn smiled and shook her head, "No need to apologize - you're a very busy man. Your presentation last night was very informative."

Paxton grinned, "I'm sure you were bored to death."

"Actually, I see possible uses for some of the extraction techniques to help my father's research." she explained.

Paxton knew of her father and his studies, "That's a possibility." he commented. He walked over to the replica of the mining facility and smiled. "My father actually designed it, though he never saw its fruition. It's not only a work of art, but also self sufficient." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn nodded and walked around the replica. "You have some very unique features on the facility." she agreed.

Paxton looked at her curiously, "What features have caught your attention?"

She smiled softly, "It can travel. I imagine it was very expensive to build the prototype facility, but when you show your investors that your facility can move itself to a new location when the area goes dry - your stock will go through the roof." She looked him squarely in the eye, "Congratulations, Mr. Paxton."

John Frederick Paxton was momentarily stunned that she'd noticed such small details in the replica. _That information was not publically known and he wasn't ready for his competitors to find out._

Gardner grinned, "I told you she was good."

Paxton nodded slowly, "I take it you'll understand when I ask you not to mention that detail to anyone." he requested.

Kaitlyn put her hand through Gardner's arm and winked at Paxton, "As long as you don't mind me buying stock in your company."

Paxton and Gardner chuckled softly. Paxton waved for them to head up the stairs, "I don't mind, Miss Donovan. In fact, I'm so grateful - I'll send out one of my scientists to visit your father to see if we can be of any help."

Kaitlyn nodded, "That's very generous of you, Mr. Paxton."

Paxton grinned, "I'm just trying to soften you up. Captain Gardner has had nothing but great things to say about you. I could use someone with your focus on Security in my company." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn quickly surveyed the beautiful set up for the dinner gathering on the second floor. This building was definitely designed to showcase the opulence of the skyline and persuade investors to open up their pocketbooks. She smiled softly at Paxton, "I'll keep an open mind." she promised.

John Frederick Paxton nodded, "That's all I'm asking." He excused himself, then headed to the podium.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2 and LoyaulteMeLie - thank you for the reviews!

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 13

2100 - Paxton Headquarters

Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan watched as John Paxton made his way around the room speaking individually to each guest after his spiel on Paxton Industries and its future. _He definitely knew how to work the room and persuade people._ She turned to Sam Gardner as she felt his eyes on her. "Tell me, why did Starfleet send you to check out Paxton Industries?" she questioned.

Gardner smiled and sat back, "They didn't, but I know that when we get a fleet of Starships - we're going to need deuterium and companies like this are going to be our lifeline." he pointed out.

She nodded, "Very forward thinking on your part, Captain." she took a sip of water.

He frowned, "Why won't you just call me Sam? We're not on duty." He tilted his head slightly as a thought just occurred to him, "Are you on duty?" he leaned forward and asked her softly.

She patted his hand, "I'm sorry, it's a habit to call everyone by their rank. I will try to remember to call you by your name." she smiled softly.

Sam Gardner looked up as John Paxton came over and sat in the chair next to Kaitlyn. He smiled and shook the man's hand, "Every time I hear you speak, I wish I had money to invest in your company." he admitted.

John Paxton smiled, "Maybe one day you will be able to." He looked at Kaitlyn carefully, then back to Gardner, "Do you mind if I speak to Kaitlyn privately?"

Gardner shook his head, "I don't mind, in fact why don't I get us all drinks?" he suggested and got their orders and left them alone.

Kaitlyn moved her hand to her ear and smoothed out her hair and activated her communication implant, she looked at John Paxton expectantly, "Do you have a question?" she prompted.

Paxton nodded slowly, "Yes. I do a very thorough background check on people before I even offer them a job. I know you have a massive fortune that you don't let people know about. Why do you work?" he wondered.

She wished she hadn't activated her implant, she should have waited. "I don't tell people because they would treat me differently." she pointed out. She leaned closer to him, "I work because I want to -and I'm good at what I do."

John Paxton leaned closer, "I know you're good at what you do. I would like for you to develop the Security Protocols for the Mining Facility and this building."

She raised an eyebrow, "Don't you already have some in place?"

He nodded, "But they are not to my satisfaction. I'm sure you could come up with something much better." he reasoned.

"Mr. Paxton, I have a job that requires most of my time. I might be able to carve out a couple of hours a day." she offered.

John Paxton grinned, "Wonderful! Could you come by for a few hours tomorrow afternoon? I could show you around and we could go over what we have in place right now." he suggested.

Kaitlyn nodded and pulled out her PADD from her handbag, "I'm available at 1400." she said as she looked over the Admiral's meetings for Saturday.

Paxton smiled brightly as Gardner came over and handed the drinks out. "Excellent." he raised his glass to her. He stood up, "Sam, thank you for introducing me. Miss Donovan, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon." He nodded once more, then went to speak to another couple.

Sam Gardner looked at her curiously.

"I'm going to help him with his Security Protocols." she explained as she looked at her PADD as a message came in. She clicked on the flashing icon. _Meeting at Admiral Forrest's house a.s.a.p_. She deleted the message and put the PADD back in her handbag. She sat back and sipped her drink, "Sam, I'm sorry to cut our evening short, but I'm running my unit's pt in the morning at 0530." she stated. She wondered how Paxton had found out about her money and she wondered if Gardner had given him a copy of her service record. "Will you walk me downstairs?" she asked.

Sam Gardner stood up and offered his arm as he walked her downstairs, "I guess you won't be running with me in the morning?"

She laughed softly, "No, I will have already run five miles by 0630."

He walked her outside into the cool night air. He stopped, "Do you want me to see you home?" he offered.

Kaitlyn raised her eyebrow, "I can get there on my own, but thank you for offering." she patted his arm.

He waved for a cab and smiled, "So maybe I can come over some other time?"

She grinned and played along, "Maybe, I haven't quite decided about you yet, Sam."

Sam Gardner grinned, then kissed her cheek gently, "Good night, Kaitlyn." He opened the cab door and held it as she got in.

"Good night, Sam."

He nodded and shut the door.

The cab driver looked at her, "Where to, Ma'am?"

She quickly gave him the address of Admiral Forrest's house and sat back in the seat. She wasn't sure how she felt about working on Paxton's Security Protocols, but she knew Harris would be pleased if they could learn more about his facilities. She sighed softly.

Admiral Forrest's home

Kaitlyn Donovan was surprised when the door was opened by Commander Williams, "You got called in too?"

Williams nodded and waved for her to go to the living room, where Forrest and Archer were seated.

She quickly sat down on the couch and looked at the Admiral expectantly.

Forrest cleared his throat, "The shuttle was recovered and Commander Tucker is still inspecting it now - evidently your request for assistance was approved." He looked at Archer, then back to Donovan. "Lt. Commander Rhodes can't be found on the Dock Yards and there is no record of him leaving. Lt. Reed is having the Security teams continue to search for him. If Rhodes didn't sabotage the shuttle, he sure is looking guilty. Commander Keppler was not happy about being removed from the Security on the Dock Yards, but I reminded him that he had other Security Details to attend to here."

Donovan looked at Archer, "What about the scanning of the items, Captain?"

"It's going well, they should be done in another seven hours." Archer stated.

Forrest nodded, "How did your meeting at Paxton Industries go?" he inquired.

"Paxton wants me to set up the security for his building and the mining facilities. I still don't know what he wanted with all of the information he had O'Dell steal. I'm going tomorrow afternoon to look over the security features he has in place now." she explained.

Derek Williams frowned, "Who's going with you?"

"I'll be fine, I have a team on Paxton." she stated, wondering why he was acting weird.

"That's outside." Williams pointed out, "What if something happens and they can't get inside to you?" he countered.

Kaitlyn Donovan studied him carefully, "Did I do something to make you think I can't take care of myself?" she questioned him.

Williams shook his head, "That's not what I meant, and you know it." He stood up quickly and left the room.

Kaitlyn watched as he went to the kitchen, then turned her attention back to the Admiral.

Forrest and Archer looked at her questionably.

She shrugged, "I don't know what's wrong with him." She glanced at Archer's bruise on his forehead, "How is your shoulder doing?"

Archer smiled softly, "It's a little sore, but it will be okay." he reassured her.

The Admiral's communicator chirped and he answered it quickly.

"Admiral Forrest, this is Lieutenant Reed." the man's British accent wafted through the living room. "I'm sorry to disturb you at this late hour, but I wanted to report that we've found Lt. Commander Rhodes." he stated.

Williams came in and stood at the threshold of the door.

"You have him detained for questioning?" Forrest inquired.

"No, Sir." Reed said. "Evidently, he decided to take a walk in space out an airlock - without an Environmental Suit on." he paused a moment. "Admiral, we wouldn't have found his body if it hadn't gotten tangled up in some wiring. We found cobalt explosive residue in his locker. He either felt guilty about planting the bombs, or he's being set up as the fall guy." he explained.

Forrest frowned, "Keep investigating on your end, Lieutenant. Who knows about Rhodes?"

"Myself and two of my Security Officers I brought up with me." Reed stated.

"Let's keep this under wraps and see what happens." Forrest directed. "I'll send a shuttle up to get Rhodes and have an autopsy performed. Thank you, Lt. Reed." he ended the conversation. Maxwell Forrest looked at Archer and shrugged. He sat back in the chair - he felt really tired.

Jonathon Archer frowned, "If Rhodes is the scapegoat, who sabotaged the shuttle?"

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan stood up slowly as she realized who the saboteur was. The only other person who was with Travis when Rhodes was inspecting the shuttle. It would have been easy enough for him to do something to the shuttle while Mayweather was focused on Rhodes. The same person that had gotten off his shift from guarding the Admiral in time to attack her. She headed to the front door and walked out slowly.

Lance Corporal Rutledge and Corporal Torres came over quickly to get their orders.

Lt. Donovan glanced at Lance Corporal Rutledge, "Please secure the door." she directed as Torres walked with her a few feet away on the lawn.

"Corporal, I'm going to need you to go in the shuttle to the Dock Yards to bring Lt. Commander Rhodes in for questioning." she watched as his eyes dilated slightly. She frowned, "Not what you were expecting me to say? How much did you get paid to choke me?" she demanded and clenched her fists.

Torres turned and ran. He got to the shuttle opening and was quickly punched, then fell back to the ground.

Major Hayes stepped out of the shuttle and glared at Torres. "You broke the code - we never go against our own people." He nodded and Torres was quickly cuffed by Corporal Tinner and escorted to another shuttle that landed. Hayes walked over to Donovan, "Lieutenant Reed sent me some information on Torres a little while ago." he explained.

She nodded, "I need to speak with him before you take him away." _She needed to find out what else he'd done._

Hayes shook his head, "You're too upset right now. I'll question him - Reed gave me a list. Go home and rest. I'll talk to you after pt in the morning."

Kaitlyn started to protest.

"Go home." he ordered firmly. Hayes climbed aboard the shuttle and it took off.

She watched as the shuttle flew away and frowned. _She was upset._ Upset enough to have pulverized Torres if she'd been left alone with him. She looked back at the door and walked over slowly. She stopped beside Rutledge, "Will you be able to lead tonight's shift?" she questioned him.

Rutledge nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."

"Thank you." Donovan took a deep breath and walked back inside.

All three men were waiting for her in the living room.

"What happened?" Forrest questioned quickly.

"Corporal Torres is in custody and will be questioned. He sabotaged the shuttle and he is the one that attacked me." she stated and turned to leave.

"You're sure?" Archer asked.

Kaitlyn sighed softly and nodded, "Yes. Admiral, I'll see you at the office in the morning." She turned and headed out the door. She didn't feel like going home. She wanted to go and question Torres, but that wasn't going to happen. She glanced back as footsteps quickly approached. She smiled softly as Williams caught up with her.

Williams walked beside her down the drive to the street. He glanced at her, "I didn't mean to question your skills, I just worry." he shrugged slightly.

Kaitlyn smiled softly and wrapped her arm through his, "Thanks for caring. I'm not use to anyone worrying about me." They continued to walk down the street.

"What about your Dad, doesn't he worry about the dangers of your job? He does know what you do, right?" he questioned her.

Kaitlyn shrugged, "My father knows most of what my job entails. As for worrying about me, I think he knows I'll be alright."

Derek Williams watched as she shook her head slightly, "What are you thinking, Kaitlyn?"

"I'm thinking that I don't want to go home right now. That artful little sliver of food they served for dinner tonight was not a meal. What do you say to coming with me to the Antony's - he keeps the place open on Friday and Saturday nights." she suggested.

Derek grinned, "I'll be happy to come with you, but let's get a ride." They walked to the end of the street and hailed a cab. They quickly got in and the cab drove them to Antony's. He guided her inside and they sat down at one of the tables.

Five other tables were occupied, most of them were here for dessert and coffee.

Kaitlyn smiled brightly as Antony, the older robust owner of the establishment, came over to their table. "Antony, I didn't know you'd be here tonight - how are you?" she inquired. Her family had always come to Antony's for breakfast on Saturday mornings, at least until her mother had died. After that, she'd only come with her father when they'd been in town. But, as soon as she'd started going to college, she'd come at least once a week. Antony was like the surrogate grandpa she'd never had.

Antony kissed her forehead, "Ah, Kaitlyn - it's so good to see you. I'm fine. We missed you Wednesday." he smiled softly and squeezed her shoulder gently.

"I had to work." she shrugged, then glanced at Derek. "Antony, this is Commander Derek Williams, I'm working with him at Starfleet Command the next few weeks. Derek, this is Antony."

Antony shook Derek's hand, "Blueberry pancakes with strawberry syrup and black coffee - I remember you." he smiled and recited the Commander's usual order. "Would you like that tonight?"

Derek nodded, "That would be great. Thank you."

Antony glanced at Kaitlyn and raised his brows, "You are in a perturbed mood - I know what to get you." he quickly headed back to the kitchen.

Derek smiled softly, "I didn't realize when we were talking about this place to those tourists that you actually came here." He sat back in his chair as Antony brought out their drinks and quickly went to check on his other guests.

Kaitlyn sipped her hazelnut flavored coffee and grinned, "Antony would be the one that worries about me more than my father." she indicated the man that cheerfully bantered with his guests.

"How did you meet him?" Derek questioned.

Kaitlyn thought back, "I always remember coming here when I was little. We would come on Saturday mornings. Sometimes my Mom would bring me here during the week. She, Antony, and three other people would meet. They would talk about all sorts of stuff - usually all of the places they visited and they people they'd met."

"I bet you heard some interesting stories." he smiled.

She nodded. She looked back toward the kitchen. Now that she thought about it, sometimes they spoke a different language - it was something she'd never heard since. She looked up as Antony brought over their food. "Antony, what language was it you spoke when my Mom came all those years ago?" she asked.

Antony faltered slightly as he set her plate down. "Oh, either French or Spanish - sometimes Italian or German, I guess." He set Derek's plate down, then went back to the kitchen.

Kaitlyn frowned slightly. She knew her languages, and what they had spoke wasn't any of those. _Why wouldn't he just tell her?_ She started to eat her French toast with strawberries and cool whip. She smiled as she savored the first bite.

Derek grinned as he watched her expression, "Is that your favorite?"

"Yes, and it is a rare indulgence." she admitted. "I'll burn it off in the run tomorrow."

He looked up questionably, "How far are you all running?"

"Five miles, then we'll do the obstacle course." she explained. Kaitlyn looked up and watched Derek, "So what got you all wound up tonight, I mean - if you weren't doubting my abilities?" she questioned.

Derek Williams set his fork down and took a sip of coffee, "Rutledge was listening into your meeting with Paxton - Hayes had told him to keep an ear on you. Hayes wouldn't say why, I guess it was because of what he learned about Torres. Anyhow," he shrugged, "I just worry when your with them and nobody is close by if you need help. I know you can take care of yourself. "

Kaitlyn smiled, "Even though my teams aren't right beside me, or even in the next room - I have no doubt that they would find a way to get to me if I needed them. It's a code we live by. We never leave anyone behind." she stated firmly. _A code that Torres had broken_ - not only had he attacked her, he'd sabotaged the shuttle. Hopefully he hadn't killed Rhodes.

Derek raised an eyebrow, "You've got a black cloud forming over you, what's wrong?"

She glanced at the door as a few of the other customers left. "Another part of our code is that we can't be bought - it's an integrity thing."

He nodded, "You're talking about Torres? He did a lot of things that were wrong. I'm sure that Major Hayes will find out why he did what he did, and for whom." he stated.

They ate quietly for awhile and just enjoyed the food.

Kaitlyn sat back in her seat. She was suddenly very tired. She looked at the time.

"Need to leave?" he questioned.

She nodded, "If I want to be conscious when I'm running tomorrow." She stood up and Antony came out of the kitchen.

"You are leaving so soon? Kaitlyn, I don't get to see you that often. Why don't you come Sunday after the rush and we can talk." Antony suggested.

Kaitlyn smiled and hugged him gently, "Okay, I'll be here." she promised him.

Antony grinned, "Good, I'll see you then."

"How much do I owe you?" she questioned.

"You come on Sunday and we're even." the older man told her.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I will be here, I promise." she reassured him.

Derek held the door open for her as they walked out.

She looked over the bay as the breeze picked up. She smiled at the Bay Bridge with all of its lights on and the flurry of shuttles as they came and went. She looked up at the sky to where the Dock Yards were. She couldn't see it, but she knew it was there. She was determined to do whatever she could to keep Admiral Forrest safe and to keep the Enterprise's launch on schedule. She turned to Derek as the cab pulled up, "Thank you for keeping me company." she patted his arm.

"You don't want me to see you to your door?" he questioned her softly as he opened the cab door for her.

She shook her head, "Torres is in custody - I'll be fine. Besides, you live in the opposite direction." she pointed out as she got in.

Derek Williams nodded, "I'll see you at the office. Good night, Kaitlyn." He closed the door and watched the cab drive away. He put his hands in his jacket pockets and started to walk to his apartment.

Kaitlyn grimaced as she got out of the cab. Harris was waiting beside a shuttle and quickly walked over to her.

"Why aren't you questioning Torres?" Harris demanded.

"Major Hayes sent me home." she stated. _She didn't feel like having this conversation right now. _"I'm really tired, and I need to get to sleep."

"You need to question Torres, there is too much that we need to know right now. Go change and I'll wait." he ordered.

Kaitlyn closed her eyes, Major Hayes was not going to be pleased with her if she showed up. She looked back at Harris, "I can question him after the pt session in the morning."

"There is more at stake here than your sleep." Harris frowned, "Another bomb showed up on the Enterprise, this time in the matter-antimatter assembly. We need to know if Torres put the bomb there and how to disarm it. Lt. Reed is having some trouble with the redundancies." he explained. "We think it was placed there around the time Commander Tucker started inspecting the shuttle and Rhodes took his walk out the airlock."

Kaitlyn frowned, C_ould Torres have put the bomb on the Enterprise_? She didn't think he had that kind of expertise.

"Kaitlyn!" Harris snapped.

She focused on him, "I'll be back in a few minutes." She quickly went inside her apartment to change into her uniform.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2 and LoyaulteMeLie - thank you for the reviews!

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 14

MACO Headquarters, Interrogation Room

Major Hayes stopped beside Corporal Torres and leaned on the table, "You are not being very helpful." he stated. "That's not going to be good for you."

Torres glared at Hayes, but remained quiet.

Hayes sighed and left the room. He turned and frowned as Lt. Donovan and Harris came down the hall. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be getting some sleep." he pointed out to her.

Donovan nodded, "I need to speak with Torres - Harris will explain." she stated and went in the room before Hayes could protest. Her emotions were raw and she wasn't sure if she could keep her cool, but she had to try. They had to find out how to disarm the bomb.

She sat down in the chair across from Torres and watched him carefully.

He looked away quickly. He looked at his hands, the table, the floor, the ceiling - everywhere but at her.

She knew guilt was a powerful emotion. She folded her hands gently on the table and kept watching him.

Torres shifted uncomfortably in his chair after ten minutes. He was growing agitated, "Did you come to intimidate me?" he demanded. He frowned when she didn't say anything. He looked down at her hands, "I didn't think you'd get back to your apartment so soon. I only meant to knock you out - then you woke up!" he squeezed his eyes closed as he remembered the panic that had flooded through him when she had sat up. He had acted on instinct and choked her in hopes that she'd blackout. He hadn't gotten any sleep that night, thinking that she'd remember and he'd get hauled in for questioning. He put his head in his hands and exhaled deeply. He wished he had gotten caught then, because that meant that he wouldn't have sabotaged the shuttle. He couldn't believe it when he'd gotten to the Dock Yards and Commander Keppler had confronted him. Keppler had told him that Donovan was on to him, then he handed him a small explosive device and showed him where to put it on the shuttle. Torres looked up at her, "I'm sorry, Ma'am." he said quietly.

Donovan leaned forward slightly, "What are you sorry for, Corporal?" she prompted him.

"Breaking into your home, attacking you - leaving you wounded." he stated.

"What else?"

He frowned, "I put the explosive device on the shuttle." he admitted to her. Torres was glad that they had survived. She was his mentor. Lt. Donovan had taken him under her wing when she'd first spotted his potential six months ago and she had quickly tutored him in the responsibilities of being a team leader. _He had let her down._ He'd let them all down.

"Corporal, who gave you the device?" Donovan questioned him.

Torres closed his eyes. _He was sure that Keppler and the others would kill him if he talked._ But maybe, if he told Donovan everything - maybe Keppler could be stopped.

She touched his arm gently and focused on him intently, "Corporal Torres, I need you to write down everything that you know about this plot and everyone involved." she said out loud as she quickly sifted through his memories of the past few days. She removed her hand and stood up and handed him a PADD, "Start with how you met them."

Torres nodded slowly, then began to type everything out about Terra Prime and Commander Keppler.

Lt. Donovan stepped back out into the hallway and leaned against the wall. Keppler had given him the device and Torres had met him at a Terra Prime rally. Evidently, Torres didn't like Vulcans and had come to a rally out of curiosity. They had quickly honed in on him and Keppler had used him to find out more about the MACOs. Torres hadn't placed the bombs on the Enterprise, nor had he killed Rhodes. She had gotten a glimpse of the security console that Keppler had shown Torres where to place the device on the shuttle. Perhaps they could search that console for more information. She quickly pulled out her PADD and sent a secured message to Lt. Reed and told him what console to search through. She looked up as Hayes and Harris came out of the Observation Room and walked over to her.

"He's writing up a storm." Major Hayes stated and watched her closely. She didn't look well. "You really need to rest." he pointed out to her.

She nodded, "I will."

Hayes went back into the Interrogation Room to check on Torres.

Harris looked at her expectantly.

"He didn't plant the bombs on Enterprise. Keppler gave him the explosive device that he put on the shuttle. I just sent a message to Lt. Reed and told him the console that Keppler had last been working on. Hopefully that will help." Donovan explained.

Harris frowned, "That will take too long." He studied her carefully, "You could question Keppler, then wipe his memories." he suggested.

Kaitlyn sighed softly, "I'm not rested, he might remember." she explained.

Harris shrugged, "We'll have to take that chance. The bomb has to be disarmed." He looked at her pale features, "I'll have him beamed here into the other Interrogation Room." He quickly stepped away and made a communiqué.

Kaitlyn closed her eyes and tried to center herself. She had to focus.

Harris quickly went into the other room. A minute later, he opened the door and waved her in.

Keppler was unconscious on the floor.

Harris shrugged, "I thought this would be easier for you."

She nodded and knelled on the floor beside him. She touched his arm and searched his mind to find out about the bomb. She watched as he built the bomb carefully. In his mind, he went over each step as he put it together. She gently pushed his mind into thinking he was dreaming. She pulled back from his mind. They didn't have much time, _this bomb was meant to be detonated soon_ - not wait for the Warp Engine Test. She stood up, "I know how to disarm it, beam me up there."

"Kaitlyn, you are in no condition to disarm a bomb. Write it down." Harris objected.

She shook her head, "I can see it and I know what to do, I can't explain it right now. Clear the area and beam me into Engineering." she directed him. "Beam him back to his bed." she indicated Keppler.

Harris weighed the odds, then nodded.

Engine Room, NX-01 Enterprise

Kaitlyn walked slowly over to the matter-antimatter assembly and carefully looked over the bomb and where it was attached. She looked into the satchel of equipment and took out the micro calipers and a scalpel. She replayed in her mind what she'd seen Keppler do and did everything in the reverse order. She sighed softly thirty minutes later as she carefully pulled the device out and put it down in a shielded case. She touched her implant, "The device has been disabled."

She and the bomb were quickly transported off the ship. Harris took the bomb with him for testing and she headed to a bunk and collapsed into a deep sleep.

Her dreams were vivid. She dreamed of her first shuttle crash when she was ten, the one with her father and a Vulcan Scientist named T'Mira. They were heading back to San Francisco after the group had finished its research on some aboriginal cave drawings in South America. The flight had been uneventful for awhile, then she recalled the feeling of her stomach dropping. She distinctly remembered her head hitting the ceiling of the shuttle before she blacked out.

When she came to, the shuttle was not moving. T'Mira was running a scanner over her and frowning at the readings. Kaitlyn was scared, _she'd never seen a Vulcan show such emotion before. _

"Are you okay, T'Mira?" she asked the older woman softly.

The Vulcan quickly schooled her features, "I will be fine." She glanced to the left.

Kaitlyn followed the woman's gaze as it fell upon her father, "Will he be okay?" she questioned cautiously. He was not moving.

"Yes. I have reset his broken arm and leg, but he is still unconscious." She stated matter-of-factly.

Kaitlyn couldn't move her neck, but she gazed to the front of the shuttle to the pilot. She could see the slash at his throat from debris that had come through the front windshield of the shuttle when it had crashed. He'd lost a lot of blood.

"Mr. Gordon did not survive his injuries." T'Mira explained softly.

The young girl looked at the Vulcan carefully. "Why can't I move?" she inquired.

T'Mira looked at the readings on her scanner, "You have sustained considerable injuries." She knew the girl did not like to be treated like a child, so she went on, "You have several breaks in your bones throughout your body, including your spine. You also have many internal injuries." She looked at the girl carefully, then to the front of the shuttle. "Kaitlyn, I do not have the equipment I need to repair all of your injuries, and our communication system is broken."

The girl looked at the Vulcan, "I can tell you how to repair the communication system."

The Vulcan's eyebrows disappeared into her bangs, "You can tell me?" she questioned with a hint of incredulity in her voice.

"I read the manual on the system a few months ago." the young girl explained to her. The Vulcan still looked doubtful. "If it doesn't work, I doubt we will be any worse off than if we do nothing."

T'Mira glanced at the broken comm system, then back at Kaitlyn. "I must find a way to stabilize your condition first." She was quiet for a moment, "I will teach you some basic meditation techniques." she decided.

Kaitlyn looked at her thoughtfully, "Why?"

"The pain may become very great for you soon, you will need to be able to meditate to ease your pain." she stated.

Kaitlyn watched the Vulcan and wondered if she would get in trouble for what she was about to say - _she hadn't even told her father_. "I am different than everyone else."

T'Mira kept her expression even, "We are all different, Kaitlyn." she pointed out.

The young girl frowned, "I am different than other humans, T'Mira. I broke my leg one night, after I fell off my bed. Father had specifically told me not to jump on the bed, but I did it anyway. I was afraid to tell father, so I slept on the floor and decided I'd tell him in the morning. At first, it hurt, but then the pain went away. When I woke up the next morning, my leg wasn't broken - I was fine."

T'Mira took a deep breath, "It is more likely that you sprained your leg." she stated.

"It has happened a few times since then." Kaitlyn said softly. "Please don't tell father." she requested.

T'Mira was watching the human child curiously.

Kaitlyn narrowed her eyes, "Why don't you read my mind if you don't believe me?" she asked angrily. "You are a Syrannite - don't you practice mind melding?" she questioned the Vulcan.

The Vulcan's lips parted and she blinked several times. T'Mira looked at the young girl sprawled out on the floor of the shuttle with life threatening injuries. _How could this human girl know about the Syrannites, or mind melds? No Vulcan spoke of mind melds, it was forbidden and one could be punished for such deviant behavior. _"I do not know of what you speak about, child." T'Mira stated firmly.

Kaitlyn closed her eyes, "No one ever notices me when I go with father. I hear a lot of things, I see a lot." she opened her eyes and looked at T'Mira. "Because I'm young, no one questions when I pick a book off a shelf and start to read. That's how I learned Vulcan." she whispered.

"From reading a book off a shelf?" T'Mira shook her head in disbelief. _The child was becoming delusional from her injuries. _

The young girl sighed softly, "Show me the scanner." she requested.

T'Mira did as the child requested. She would have to find a sedative in the medical kit for the girl.

Kaitlyn frowned at the readings on the Vulcan scanner, "It says I have a punctured spleen, T'Mira."

The Vulcan's head whirled to the child in disbelief. So few humans knew the Vulcan language - and here was a child that claimed she learned it from reading a book. "What Vulcan book did you read?"

"_The Teachings of Surak_." the girl stated.

"It takes much discipline to read _The Teachings of Surak_. I do not understand how a human child could read it." T'Mira was confused_. It would explain how the child knew of mind melds_. She looked at the young girl, "You would allow me to see in your mind?"

"Yes. I want to know what it is like. Will I be able to see in your mind?" the girl questioned.

"We will see how it affects you." T'Mira glanced at the girl's father. _She should ask for his permission_, but he was still unconscious. If she could mind meld with the child, perhaps she could ease the girl's pain. She made her decision, "Please relax as much as you can, I will not hurt you."

The young girl smiled softly, "I know you won't."

T'Mira placed her fingers on the child's face gently, "My mind to your mind, your thoughts to my thoughts. . ."

The Vulcan opened her eyes and looked around to find Kaitlyn. She was standing in an old fashion library, filled with rows and rows of books. She looked up at the glass dome and the stars filling the sky outside.

The young human child stepped out at the end of the row and waited for T'Mira.

T'Mira walked to the child, "Where are we?" she questioned, thinking that perhaps they'd slipped into one of the child's dreams.

"This is where I keep everything I learn, silly - how else would I find it?" the child questioned the Vulcan woman. "What would you like to learn?"

"I would like to see what you know about Vulcans." T'Mira stated.

The girl smiled and reached for the Vulcan's hand and led her down a few rows to a single, small shelf of books. She reached for _The Teaching of Surak_ and handed it to T'Mira. "I only have one shelf of Vulcan books - I'm hoping to read more soon." the girl shrugged.

T'Mira opened the book and gasped. She could actually read the words on the pages. It was unusual to see such detail in someone's mind. "Do you understand this?" she asked the human child.

"Most of it. Would you like me to read it to you?" she asked the Vulcan.

T'Mira nodded and handed the book to the child. _Perhaps her own Vulcan mind was supplying the words on the pages._

The child looked at the Vulcan woman, "In English or Vulcan?" she questioned.

"In Vulcan, please." T'Mira requested. Her eyes widened as the child began reading in Vulcan. She let the child read for another few minutes, then stopped her. "Thank you, Kaitlyn." She had known all along that this child was intelligent, but not to this degree. She looked around the library, "Are these books everything you've read?" she questioned.

The child nodded, "Yes, but some of these are the information that I've learned." She walked to another shelf and showed T'Mira the book. "This is my book on the aboriginal drawings we just visited. When I learn more information about the people, I will put it in this book." she explained to the Vulcan.

T'Mira looked at the child, "You have a very organized mind. I suggest that when you meditate, you come to this place." she suggested.

"Okay." the girl smiled.

"Kaitlyn, what happens with unpleasant things - where do you put them?" she asked softly.

"In books. I put them there, then put them on the shelf so I don't have to worry about them anymore." the girl motioned for the Vulcan to follow her.

The child pointed to a shelf in a darker corner of the library. "They are there, in those books."

T'Mira walked over slowly, "May I look at one of them?" she asked for permission.

"What would you like to see?" the girl looked curiously at the Vulcan.

"When you broke your leg and did not tell your father." T'Mira requested.

The girl pulled a book off the shelf and held it close to her body, "You won't tell father?" she questioned.

"I will not tell your father about this incident." T'Mira stated.

The child raised an eyebrow, "Or anything else you learn in this book?" She knew adults chose their words carefully, so they could tell half-truths.

T'Mira was surprised the child was analyzing her language. "I will not reveal to your father what I learn in this book." she promised.

The young girl handed her the book titled 'Secrets'.

T'Mira opened the book and saw a much younger version of this child jumping wildly on her bed, then she fell and her body slammed to the floor. She sucked in a quick breath as the pain flared through her. The child sat up through the pain and looked at her leg. The child was right, it was definitely broken - T'Mira could see the bone out of place under the skin. The child frowned as she studied her leg and a tear ran down her cheek. T'Mira watched in surprise as the child pushed on the bone and put it back in place. She looked curiously at the child. The girl was showing indications of mental shielding at this young age - T'Mira had not felt the child's pain when she reset the bone in her leg. The child then laid on the floor and went to sleep. When the child woke, she stood up and walked around. The girl's leg had healed. _How was that possible?_

T'Mira flipped through other pages in the book and saw other times when the child had been injured and had healed quickly by herself. T'Mira closed the book and put it back on the shelf. "You have never spoken of this to your father?"

The girl shook her head slowly, watching to see what the Vulcan woman would do next.

T'Mira sighed softly, "That is a heavy burden for a child to carry alone. If you need to speak to me about anything else, I will listen." she offered to the child and held her hand. _She was curious to know why the child didn't want to tell her father._

"I don't want him to treat me differently. I don't want him to fear me." the girl answered the Vulcan's unspoken question.

T'Mira's eyes widened, "You can hear my thoughts?" She started to step back from the child, but then steadied herself. This reaction was what the child was afraid of - _being feared_.

"I learn to do things fast. I can hear your thoughts now that you are holding my hand." the girls explained.

T'Mira nodded, "I think we have done enough now - I will remove myself from your mind." She stated, then pulled back slowly.

The Vulcan woman opened her eyes and watched the child sleep. She was now filled with questions. _How could this child heal herself? How had she learned to mentally shield herself? Why was this child so different from other humans? _She would make sure she looked after the child's education. A mind such as this could not be wasted.

When the rescue shuttle arrived three days later, the doctors were amazed that the child had sustained no injuries. Even her father, who had woken up the day before had been surprised.

xxxx

Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan sat up on the cot and quickly reoriented herself. She hadn't thought about that crash in a long time. She supposed her mind had brought it back to the surface because of what happened yesterday. She stood up and quickly looked at her watch. 0500. She got her pt clothes and toiletries out of her bag, then headed to the locker room to change. She felt well rested, she had definitely needed it.

xxxx

Kaitlyn's feet pounded the ground as she made her way through the last stage of the obstacle course. She scaled up the wall and threw her body over, then she went to the next obstacle and pulled herself up the first level of the platform. She reached up and climbed to the second level and went to the edge. She jumped over to the log three feet away and steadied her balance, then raced down a sloping log, then dropped down to the ground. She ran to the three story rope and started to pull herself up to the top. Her closest squad member was just now dropping to the ground from the log. She smiled to herself as she reached the top of the rope and rang the bell. She slowly worked her way back down and watched as Buchannan reached the top and rang the bell, then came down after her. He nodded to her and they walked a few feet away to watch the others as they quickly came over the last few obstacles.

"Ma'am, you're going to have to tell me how you pulled ahead - I was keeping pace with you until the last quarter mile." Buchannan stated.

Donovan smiled, "I always pick up speed then - you should know that by now."

He looked at her curiously, "You were faster today." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn didn't think she had been faster than usual, "It must be because I got a good night's sleep." she shrugged it off. She turned her attention to the squad members coming in and encouraged them loudly to keep going, that they were almost done.

She glanced back at the course and watched as the last of the unit came through. One by one, they completed all of the obstacles, climbed the rope and rang the bell.

Lt. Donovan nodded to all of them as they gathered around. "Everyone did a great job today - on the run and the obstacle course. Go shower and enjoy the rest of your weekend." she dismissed them.

"Ooh-rah!" they said in unison, then headed to the locker rooms.

Donovan waited back as the squad leaders came over to her. "Did anyone lag?" she questioned them.

"No, Ma'am. Everyone was running a good pace today." Corporal Zane stated.

Corporal Paulson agreed, "It could be because we told them to start hydrating two days ago." he pointed out to her.

Lt. Donovan nodded, "Good, maybe that's all we really needed to do. Hydration will be essential on Mars, start to go over the environmental challenges with your squads this week during your meetings." She looked over her squad leaders, "Anything to report on our current mission?" she asked.

Zane snorted, "Commander Keppler was furious that he was taken off the Dock Yard Security Detail, I'm pretty sure he broke a few things in his apartment." he said.

Donovan nodded, "Good - maybe he'll slip up and make a mistake."

Corporal Paulason glanced at the others, then to Donovan, "Ma'am, we're sorry about Torres - we didn't pick up on his affiliation with that group, and we should have been able to."

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan shook her head, "Terra Prime was cautious with him and they used him. Just take note if anyone else mentions Terra Prime. Monday afternoon we'll need to go over the Security for the Banquet." she stated.

Her squad leaders nodded, then headed to the locker room. Kaitlyn walked down the corridor of MACO Headquarters and sighed as Major Hayes stepped out of his office and motioned her to follow. She walked into his office and closed the door.

Hayes was standing at the window, looking out to the obstacle course. "They did well today." he commented.

She nodded, "Yes, they did." _She knew he didn't want to discuss the pt session this morning. _She waited patiently.

"You disabled the bomb on the Enterprise last night?" he questioned and turned to her slowly, his arms crossed.

"Yes, Sir."

Hayes frowned. He wanted to know how she knew how to disable that bomb. _ But if he asked, he might end up regretting it._ He sighed softly, "Torres' hearing will be later this morning. He's pleaded guilty to all charges." he explained.

"Do you need me to attend?" she inquired.

"No, you go ahead and focus on your mission." he said softly. He was still reeling over the fact that it had been Torres that had attacked her and put an explosive device on the shuttle. He looked over Donovan, she looked better than she had the past week. "You did good work last night." he stated.

Kaitlyn nodded, "Thank you, if you'll excuse me?" she requested.

Hayes nodded and dismissed her.

0750 - Starfleet Headquarters

Lt. Donovan quickly listened to the message from Lt. Reed on her PADD before she stepped into Starfleet Headquarters.

His image came up on the PADD quickly. "I ran through all of the files on the computer to see what Keppler had been accessing, quite a bit of it is highly classified and he copied the information. I've attached a list of everything he accessed, so you can analyze it too. I heard they took Corporal Torres into custody last night - I'm sorry that it was one of your own men that attacked you. I also wanted to thank you for disarming the bomb. I don't know how you did it. I'd like to be able to meet with you one day and discuss it, though I don't think it will be anytime soon if Harris has any say. Keep me informed with what you learn, and I'll do the same on my end. Reed out."

She watched the screen for a few seconds. _Not only was Keppler getting O'Dell to steal information, but he was gathering a lot on his own. _She quickly opened the attachment and scanned through the listing. She frowned and clicked off the screen. She was going to have to sit down and really analyze all of the list, and she didn't have that kind of time at this moment - she needed to get upstairs.

She touched the flashing icon for an incoming message.

This one was from Harris.

"Work with Paxton. Find out all you can about his mining facilities. We need you to be able to detail everything you remember for our records. Also, learn as much as you can about what he is doing with the information he has been collecting. I'll meet with you later tonight." Harris stated, then the message automatically deleted.

Kaitlyn Donovan looked up at the building. _This was going to be a very busy week._ She took a deep breath and headed inside to Admiral Forrest's office.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2 - Thank you for all of your encouraging reviews.

SavanaSahara - I'm glad you like this story. As for the other half of Donovan's species, I don't think I'll reveal that anytime soon - I like to keep people guessing.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 15

0755 - Starfleet Headquarters

Commander Derek Williams pulled Donovan into his office as she was going past.

She looked at his hand sharply and he dropped it. Then she saw the concern in his eyes, "What's wrong?" she questioned quickly.

He frowned slightly, "The Admiral is upset." He looked over her closely, "No sooner did he find out last night that there was another bomb on the Enterprise, he found out you disabled it." Derek Williams glanced out the corridor and down to the Admiral's office. "Ambassador Soval is there with him now." he stated.

Kaitlyn Donovan nodded, "Thanks for the heads up." she turned to leave. She stopped and glanced at Williams. She had felt his frustration when he'd pulled her into his office. He, too, was upset at her. He was wondering if she knew about the bomb then when she left Antony's last night. She wanted to alleviate his apprehension, but she couldn't think of anything to say to him that wouldn't reveal that she knew what he was thinking. She quickly headed to Admiral Forrest's office. She nodded to Lance Corporal Rutledge as she assumed her shift.

Rutledge glanced at the Admiral and spoke softly to her, "He's is a very foul mood - and I'm pretty sure it's about what you did last night." He frowned slightly, "Would you like for me to call Major Hayes?" he asked.

Lt. Donovan smiled slightly at the young MACO and patted his arm, "You have to take the bad with the good that comes with this job - you can't run away from it." She shrugged, "Go and get some sleep. Thanks for stepping up and leading the shift last night."

He smiled and stood up a little straighter, "Good day, Ma'am."

Kaitlyn watched as he left the office, then she stepped to her post at the Admiral's office door and counted the seconds off in her head until he noted that she had arrived. _One. Two. Three._

"Donovan, get in here!" Forrest bellowed.

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan came into the room and stood before the Admiral's desk and clasped her hands loosely behind her back and waited. She watched as Forrest started pacing behind his desk, and Ambassador Soval stood silently by the window.

Ambassador Soval gazed at the young Lieutenant. She did not look overly concerned that her Superior Officer had just yelled for her and was obviously frustrated with her. Now that he thought about it, she had not been the least bit nervous around him last night when she had asked for his help. Soval knew that most humans were intimidated by him, _he wondered why she was not?_

Admiral Forrest finally stopped pacing and took a deep breath before he focused on Donovan. "I don't know where to start." he admitted.

She glanced between the two men, and waited patiently.

Forrest looked at her carefully, his expression slowly softened. "Thank you." he said slowly. "I just realized that I've been focused on all of the wrong things." he shrugged and sat down. He indicated for the Ambassador and Donovan to sit down in the leather chairs across from his desk. "I've been upset since last night because there was another bomb and you put your life in danger again." He leaned forward, "What I should have been focusing on was that the other bomb was discovered and disarmed before it damaged anyone or anything. Every time I see you, Kaitlyn - you are calm and collected. You don't jump to conclusions, you analyze the situation from all angles, and you don't take uncalculated risks." he smiled softly at her. "I'm glad you are working on this, I'm just sorry that this is a bigger problem than what we originally thought."

"It's nothing that can't be dealt with, Admiral. I'm going to Paxton Industries this afternoon and I may be able to discover what he needs our information for." she stated.

Ambassador Soval raised an eyebrow, "Who is accompanying you?" he asked.

Lt. Donovan turned to the Ambassador, "I will have a Team nearby, should I need assistance." she stated. _If she didn't know better, she'd think that Williams had paid Soval to ask that question._

Admiral Forrest frowned, "I don't think I like the idea of you going there by yourself. We know that he has been obtaining information from us - how do we know that Keppler hasn't pointed out to him that you are the one that put the new Security Protocols in place?"

She shrugged, "He might have. The fact is, I'm convinced that Keppler planted the bombs on Enterprise - but until we have physical evidence, it doesn't matter. The same is true that I think Paxton has a hand in this, but I'm not sure what his role is in this situation." Donovan glanced at the two men, "When we planted the latest bit of misinformation, we placed a marker on it. When I go this afternoon, I will be able to find where our information is stored and hopefully gain access to his information." She smiled, "I know what I'm doing and I'll be fine." she reassured them. "Lt. Reed sent me a list of information from a computer at the Dock Yards that Keppler had copied. I'll go over the list in a little while." she stated.

Forrest nodded. "Why don't you have Commander Williams go over it with you now?" he suggested.

She stood up and nodded, "Yes, Sir."

Ambassador Soval watched as she left quickly. He turned back to Admiral Forrest. Though the man was human and had a tendency to be too emotional at times - Soval trusted this human. "She has been essential in this investigation." he stated.

Forrest nodded, "Yes, she has." he agreed. Although he didn't see eye to eye on most issues with the Ambassador, the man was doing his job to advise them. _ Soval was like the Jiminy Cricket conscience of humanity. _ Maxwell Forrest had to stop himself from laughing at the thought - he didn't think that Soval would like being compared to a fictional cricket of a children's animated movie. "I hear we have you to thank for getting the shuttle lifted." he stated.

Ambassador Soval raised an eyebrow, "I cannot accept thanks for that. It is most fortuitous that you are now able to analyze the shuttle damage." He could not acknowledge that the Vulcan's had tractor beams on their ships. He still wanted to know who Donovan had learned that information from. "I want to extend our condolences to you on the loss of Lt. Commander Rhodes, it is very unfortunate that this situation has now escalated to the point that innocents are being sacrificed to cover the tracks of the perpetrators."

"Yes, it is very unfortunate." Forrest nodded.

Soval stood up, and Forrest followed suit. "I must re-iterate our concerns over the testing of the Warp Engines." Soval pointed out.

Admiral Maxwell Forrest smiled slowly, "How did I know you were going to say that?"

Soval tilted his head slightly, then he realized it was a rhetorical question. "Good day, Admiral."

Forrest walked with the Ambassador through the outer office and watched as the Vulcan guards followed him down the corridor. Forrest took a slow breath and glanced over at Commander Williams and Lt. Donovan as they went through the list of items that Keppler had copied. Forrest turned and headed back to his office and decided he'd better start to work on his speech. If he could finish it today, he wouldn't have to interact with O'Dell as much on Monday. He genuinely liked the young man, and he felt sorry for him on the loss of his family. He wanted to console him, not have him locked up. Terra Prime had warped the young man's mind against Starfleet and the Vulcans. Forrest sat down in his chair heavily and opened his desk drawer. He frowned. _ It was such an automatic habit to reach in his desk for some medicine to placate himself._ He'd try to go for a bit longer without having to take an antacid.

xxxxx

Commander Williams frowned as he sat back. Keppler had copied the Enterprise's Security system information. "We're going to have to advise that the systems get overhauled and strengthened - we can't have that information out there to be sold to the highest bidder." He wondered how long that would take, and if they could still stay on schedule. He glanced at Donovan,_ he wasn't happy that she was going to Paxton Industries in awhile._ "Kaitlyn, why don't we go to dinner tonight?" he suggested as casually as he could.

Kaitlyn watched him carefully, she knew he cared for her and she didn't want to lead him on. "As friends." she stated evenly.

Derek Williams nodded, a bit disappointed.

She could tell she bruised his ego slightly, "Not that you aren't a wonderful guy," she smiled softly, "but my life isn't exactly normal and it has its dangers." she pointed out.

He shrugged, "I understand."

It was Kaitlyn's turn to frown. She placed her hand on his arm, "Derek, I value our friendship and I care for you. I know how to string guys along, and I refuse to do that to you. I don't mind when I have to string others along when I have to get information from them, but that's because I don't care about them - they are a means to an end." She could feel his tension ease up. He realized she was just trying to protect him. She removed her hand and picked her PADD back up off the table, "So, where do you want to go to dinner?" she questioned.

"Do you like steak?" he queried.

"Steak is great with a big baked potato." she grinned.

"O'Malley's at 1800?" Derek suggested.

"Wonderful, I'll meet you there." she smiled as she stood up.

xxxxx

Paxton Headquarters - 1400

John Paxton walked over to Donovan, "I appreciate you coming in today - I know you don't have a lot of free time with your job." he said as they rode up the elevator to the fifth floor.

Donovan smiled softly, "I don't mind helping, though I'm curious as to why you didn't just hire one of the security firms to help you?" she questioned.

John Paxton sighed, "They don't understand all of the variables that come into play when you are in a different environment. They don't understand how a planet's natural electromagnetic energy can affect systems."

She nodded, "That is true. You'll have to make adjustments to the systems, if you change planets."

Paxton grinned, "I knew you'd understand." He waved for her to get off the elevator first.

A big, well-built dark skinned man waited for them at a set of doors at the end of the hall.

"Lieutenant Donovan, this is Josiah - he is my Head of Security on the Lunar Mining Facility. Josiah, this is Lt. Donovan." he introduced them.

Kaitlyn Donovan nodded to the man, "Why don't you show me what you have in place currently?" she suggested.

The man nodded to her and led them into the secured room.

Josiah used the huge wall monitor to go over the design of the facility and the security features already installed.

Kaitlyn stepped closer to the monitor, "The measures you have in place are good, but there are areas in which I have concerns."

Paxton waved for her to explain.

She pointed to a portion of the facility, "Are these the Medical facilities?" she asked.

Paxton nodded, _she was definitely observant._

"You might want to install a secondary system to keep these rooms locked. If I were an addict, I'm sure I could get in and get the drugs you'll have there."

"What else?" Paxton inquired.

"Your engine room and your administration offices should be more secure than they are presently." she suggested.

John Frederick Paxton smiled, "Do you think you can design something to help us out?" he asked.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I'm sure I can. Will you allow me to download the schematics so I can work on this at home?" she questioned. She saw the hesitation on his face. "I do know the importance of keeping this information secured."

Paxton nodded, "I know you do. I heard you've been working on the Security Protocols at Starfleet's Dock Yards."

"Yes, they've had. . . some problems this past week - nothing that can't be remedied." Kaitlyn stated. _So, Keppler had talked_ - she'd have to be very cautious.

"I heard you've done an excellent job - that you might even get a Commendation." Paxton pointed out.

"Just doing my job." she shrugged slightly.

Paxton watched her intently for a few more moments. "Go ahead and put the schematics on her PADD" he directed Josiah. "If you work on this at home, maybe you'll have it finished before your trip to Mars."

She thought about it, "I'll analyze the schematics this weekend and I'll give you a call on Monday to give you a timeframe." she promised him.

"Great. I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Have a good weekend, Kaitlyn." he nodded, then left them alone.

Josiah accepted her PADD and quickly downloaded the schematics and handed the PADD back to her. He walked her to the elevator. "Do you mind me asking why you've chosen to be a MACO?"

Kaitlyn smiled at the huge man, "I don't mind, Josiah. I'm a MACO because I want to protect our people. It's a big universe out there and not every species will be helpful." she explained.

Josiah nodded in agreement. "What do you think of the Vulcans?"

"I think their usefulness is coming to an end. Oh, they still have some information that we still need - like their Star Charts. I think they know it - that's why they've been holding us back." she pointed out to him.

He nodded again as they exited the elevator and he walked her across the atrium to the door. "You seem like you've got a good head on your shoulders." He held the door open for her.

"Thank you, Josiah. See you soon." she waved, then walked to the street and hailed a cab. She hoped her little spiel had given him the impression that she might be a good candidate for Terra Prime. She had a feeling that Paxton was in cahoots with them. Hopefully they would approach her soon.

xxxxx

1920 - O'Malley's Steak House

Kaitlyn gazed around the restaurant as she finished her dessert.

"So, you feel it too - that we're being watched?" Derek Williams questioned her softly.

She nodded. She'd felt it several times this evening.

"Who do think is having you followed?" he inquired.

She shrugged, "Could be Keppler, Paxton, Gardner, or Terra Prime."

Derek thought quickly, "Why don't we give them something to talk about? I could sleep on your couch tonight, then we could go to Antony's for a late breakfast tomorrow, and then I could teach you to windsurf." he suggested.

"I thought you said you'd teach me after this assignment?" she questioned as she considered his offer. _Him staying over at her place would definitely stir things up._ If it was Keppler, he'd think he had information to use against her.

Williams smiled softly, "You know as well as I do that as soon as this assignment is over, you'll be gearing up for Mars."

_He did have a point._ Kaitlyn watched him carefully, "You know if it's Gardner, he's going to be upset at you."

Derek shrugged, "He doesn't like me anyhow." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn grinned, "Okay. We'll see who takes the bait."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2 - I hope this chapter is as tension-filled as the last . . . glad you caught the SG1 flyby.

Star Trek gal - Thanks for reviewing - hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 16

1500 - Bay Beach

Kaitlyn Donovan smiled as she walked over to the chaise that had her towel. She turned and grinned as Derek finished pulling the windsurfing board in and came over to her. She handed him his towel, "I'm glad you talked me in to coming out today - it was fun."

"Are you sure you haven't done this before?" he grinned. _She had picked up how to control the board pretty quickly._

"I'm sure. I have sailed before, and I have surfed before - but this is different. I like it." Kaitlyn said as she patted herself dry. She sat down on the chaise and stretched out lazily and closed her eyes.

Derek Williams wondered if she realized how attractive she was, because she didn't act like she knew. Her black wind shorts were riding up and her black bikini top was taut. He shook his head and let out a long breath. "Well, you did great for a first timer." he smiled softly as she opened her eyes. He cleared his throat, "Why don't I go get us some drinks?" he suggested.

"Sounds good." Kaitlyn smiled and closed her eyes again. _It had been a wonderful day_. She hadn't been this relaxed in a long time. She and Derek had watched a movie last night at her apartment. Then this morning they ate at Antony's for a late breakfast, and finally they'd come here so that she could learn to windsurf. She and Derek got along very well.

A shadow fell over her. She opened her eyes slowly and was surprised to see Sam Gardner standing next to her. "Well, hello Sam." she smiled and put her hands behind her head.

Sam Gardner raked his eyes over her, then smiled and sat down by her hips. "What brings you out here today, Kaitlyn?"

_She was pretty sure he already knew_. "Derek is teaching me to windsurf." she shrugged slightly.

He looked puzzled, "Derek? Oh, Commander Williams." he glanced back to the concession stand. "Did you learn how?" he raised an eyebrow and placed his arm on the other side of the chaise so that she was blocked in.

She nodded, "I've got the basics down." She watched him carefully. She kept her breathing even and resisted the urge to knock him off the chair. "Do you know how to windsurf?" she questioned him.

He shook his head, "No - but I'd be happy to learn from you." he grinned.

She chuckled, "I think I'd have to take a few more lessons first." She sat up on the chaise so that she was only six inches from him. "What are you doing here, Sam?" she asked him softly.

Sam took in a deep breath. He shrugged sheepishly, "Just checking out the competition, I guess." he admitted.

She gave him a puzzled expression, "Competition?" she tilted her head slightly, then smiled. "You mean Derek?" She shook her head, "He's just a friend." She covered his hand with hers.

"Really?" Sam looked at her questionably. He'd seen Derek go into her apartment last night, and they both came out this morning.

"Jealously doesn't become you, Sam." she pointed out and removed her hand and sat back. She'd seen in his mind that he'd followed them from the restaurant to her apartment, to Antony's, then here. She watched him carefully, "How about we go running in the morning?" she offered.

He nodded slowly, "That sounds good. Same time, same place." He stood up. "Enjoy your windsurfing lessons, Kaitlyn."

"See you tomorrow, Sam." she watched him head up the beach to the street.

Derek Williams walked over slowly, "I wasn't sure if you wanted me to come back over here when he was over here with you." he admitted and sat down on his chaise after he handed her a drink.

She sipped the peach flavored smoothie slowly, "It's probably a good thing that you didn't - he is exhibiting stalker behavior."

"Did he follow us last night?" he asked.

Kaitlyn nodded, "He knew you'd stayed at my place last night." She couldn't mention that he'd also followed them to Antony's and here. "I told him we were just friends. I'm going running with him tomorrow morning." she stated.

Derek shook his head, "You just said he's exhibiting stalker behavior! No way you should be alone with him, Kaitlyn." _She infuriated him sometimes, thinking she was indestructible._

"He won't harm me - you're the one that needs to be careful." she pointed out and smiled softly.

Derek frowned, "Are you serious?" he questioned.

She shook her head, "As long as he doesn't perceive you as a blockade to me, you'll be fine."

He raised an eyebrow, "And you have your psychology degree from what University?"

"Ha ha, you're funny. He's okay, he's just jealous - especially because he is higher ranking than you. Don't worry about it." she waved his worries away and sipped her drink. _She hoped she was right._ She'd have to give Gardner's team a head's up. She sat up slowly when she realized that Gardner's team should have been following him all last night and today. _Why hadn't they informed her? _She swung her feet off the chaise and placed them on the warm sand. She looked around slowly. She didn't see any of her people around. _Where were they? _She touched her implant, "Donovan to Team Three?" she requested.

Derek's brows' furrowed, "What's wrong, Kaitlyn?" he questioned her quickly.

Kaitlyn frowned when she didn't get a reply. "Donovan to MACO HQ?" Still nothing. She looked at Derek, "I just realized that I should have gotten a head's up last night and today that he was near. I don't see any of my people, and I can't get a hold of them." She looked around the beach and quickly scanned everyone near. _Nothing looked out of the ordinary_. "We should really be leaving." she suggested as she stood up.

He touched her arm gently, "Kaitlyn?" he questioned her softly.

"I'll go to MACO HQ and get my communication implant checked - it probably just went out." she tried to reassure him.

Derek nodded slowly, "Let me go turn the board in." He quickly went and dragged the windsurfing board down to the place they'd rented it from.

She walked with him and leaned against the shack as Derek turned it in.

"Did you have fun?" the middle-aged owner asked her.

Kaitlyn smiled softly, "I did, thank you."

They walked up to the street and Derek hailed a cab. She watched out the window at the passing scenery as the cab headed for MACO Headquarters. She wondered what could have happened to her communication implant.

Derek walked with her into the air conditioned building and noticed that she had goose bumps on her arms, "Do you have something to change into?" he asked softly.

"In my locker." she said as they walked down the corridor.

Major Hayes heard her voice and stepped out of his office. He raised an eyebrow at her lack of clothing. "Coming from the beach?" he questioned them.

She nodded, "Major Hayes, you remember Commander Williams?" she questioned.

Williams shook her Commanding Officer's hand, "Good to see you again, Major."

Hayes nodded. He looked at Donovan, "Go change and we'll discuss the situation."

Kaitlyn looked puzzled, "What situation?"

Hayes crossed his arms, "You sent a message and called off Gardner's Team, then you haven't been answering us." he stated.

"I did not send any message to call off Gardner's Team. My communication implant is malfunctioning. I realized it wasn't working when I didn't get notified that Gardner was on the beach." she stated. "Where's the message?" she demanded.

Major Hayes exhaled slowly. _He just knew she hadn't given that order._ "Go change and we'll pull it up in the Communication Center."

She quickly went down the corridor to the locker room.

Hayes looked at Williams, "Gardner found you at the beach?" he asked and led him to the CC.

"He also followed us at the restaurant last night." Williams stated as they went in the room filled with monitors and stations. There were five MACOs busy tracking communications.

Hayes frowned and nudged the closest MACO, "Pull up the message from Donovan we got yesterday." he ordered.

Derek Williams looked up as Kaitlyn came into the room quickly. _She had to have sprinted to get here that fast_, but she didn't look out of breath.

She stepped closer to the message as it was displayed on the monitor. She shook her head, "This message isn't even from my PADD! It doesn't even have my embedded security code." She whirled around to Hayes, "Why did you follow this?" she snapped.

Major Hayes narrowed his eyes and indicated for her to walk with him to the other side of the room.

She followed him quickly, "I'm sorry, Sir. But I fail to see why this request would have been followed." she pointed out.

Hayes watched her carefully, "We tried to contact you. I was going to talk to you when you got back from dinner, but you brought Commander Williams back to your apartment - should I have knocked on your door?" he asked.

It quickly dawned on her that he thought she was involved with Williams. "Yes, you should have. Commander Williams and I knew we were being followed last night, but we didn't know by who - so we decided to see who we could flush out if he stayed at my place." she explained to her Commanding Officer. "We did learn that Gardner had followed us." she sighed softly.

Major Hayes crossed his arms, "Kaitlyn, you have a reputation to uphold and you can't let anything tarnish that. I'm just glad that I didn't send someone else to talk to you, because the scuttlebutt would be running wild by now. I know it's not fair - I just don't want all of your hard work to be put in jeopardy." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I understand." she nodded. She looked at him, "So, who sent that message, and why is my communication implant not working?" she questioned.

"Let's find out." he waved for her to go back to the others. "Jenkins, I need you to remove Donovan's implant so we can find out what's wrong with it." He looked at another MACO, "Hammonds, back trace where that message came from."

Kaitlyn sat down on a stool and Sgt. Jenkins brought over a medical kit.

"I'll deaden the area first." Jenkins stated as he soaked the Q-tip in a brown liquid, then he spread it on her neck behind her ear. He picked up a scalpel and lightly touched the skin, "Can you feel that?" he questioned.

"No." she confirmed.

Jenkins quickly made a small incision where the implant was and it slid out easily from the skin. He pressed firmly, then cleaned it and sealed the wound with an adhesive. He cleaned the implant off, then hooked it up to a station and began running a diagnostic program on it.

Derek Williams felt a little queasy, "That was gross." he told them after he'd seen the implant removed.

Kaitlyn shook her head slowly as she stood up, "Then you shouldn't have watched." she pointed out. "Do you need to sit down?" she teased him.

Williams smiled softly, "No, I'll be fine. So, when do you get a new one put in?"

Major Hayes frowned, "Two days. It gives the skin time to heal." _ She was going to be without a direct line of communication to them at a critical time in this assignment. _"I want you to keep your communicator on you at all times." he directed her.

Donovan nodded. _The implant was their life preserver_, _and now she was without it for awhile._

They looked over at Jenkins when he cursed softly.

Jenkins apologized quickly, "I'm sorry, but look - it was remotely turned off with our emergency shutdown code." he explained. He looked at Hayes, "Who would have that code and how would they know how to do it?" he questioned.

Hayes and Donovan looked at each other.

Major Hayes frowned, "Torres would know about the code, but he's been in lock up."

"When did it shut off?" Donovan questioned.

"1500 yesterday." Jenkins looked over the monitor.

Derek Williams crossed his arms, "You were at Paxton Industries then."

She nodded slowly. Maybe Keppler had found out from Torres, then he'd told Paxton._ But why?_ She could still use a communicator. But then again - Gardner had been off the grid for almost a day. _What was the point in that? _They had to have known that she would realize her implant wasn't working.

Kaitlyn stepped closer to the monitor, then looked back at Hayes, "Is the emergency shutdown code the same one that was used the other day when someone tapped into our communication system?" she questioned.

Hayes looked at Jenkins for confirmation.

Jenkins frowned, "It is. They could have found out the code when we shut the system down." Jenkins stood up, "We now have a confirmed Security Breach. These people have figured out how to single out a unique communication implant - I have to inform General Casey, Sir." he told Major Hayes.

Hayes nodded slowly, "What is the Protocol for something like this?"

"We shut down all implants and take them out and go back to communicators. We re-code all implants and then they can be re-installed." Jenkins stated.

"So, we would_ all_ be without our implants for two days." Hayes sighed and looked at Donovan.

Kaitlyn glanced at Derek, then she remembered what had happened the day they had to shut down the communication system. "Major, they were pinging us to get our locations that day." She turned to one of the screens that showed all of the MACOs in the area and their locations. "The implants are also our tracking devices. If we don't have them in, you can't find us." She frowned and stepped closer to Hayes, "They want us to take the implants out." she stated quietly.

"For what purpose?" Hayes questioned her.

She looked at the monitor again, "I hate to say it, but I think we have another MACO involved in this plot. This would allow them two days to assassinate Admiral Forrest and do whatever other havoc they want to - and we wouldn't be able to pinpoint who was there at the time. That _is_ how we found out about Torres - they are learning fast." she pointed out.

Major Hayes watched her carefully and saw her expression change slowly, "What?"

Donovan thought back to a paper she'd read about a year ago, "There's a way to re-code without taking the implants out." She went to one of the monitors and quickly searched the database for the paper. "Here it is - Walter Epps is an Intelligence Analyst for Starfleet. He is currently working at the Weapons Complex." She smiled, "I have a plan, but I'll need an hour to put things in place. Will that give you enough time to speak to General Casey?" she inquired.

He nodded slowly, "Are you going to give me a clue?"

"I'll send you the information - from my secured PADD, please check the encryption. I'm going to send some people over here to help." she stated.

Commander Williams looked at her, "Where are you going?"

"I need to go make some arrangements, I'll be back. Stay here so you can inform the Admiral what's going on." she said.

"Lieutenant, I'll come with you." Williams moved to the door.

Kaitlyn Donovan nodded to her Commanding Officer, then walked over to Derek Williams. She touched his arm gently, "The people I need to talk to won't talk to me if you're there. I'll be fine." she promised him, then left quickly out the door.

Williams frowned at the closed door, then turned back to Hayes. "Is she always this stubborn?" he questioned.

Hayes shrugged, "Only when she has a plan and is determined to carry it out."

xxxxx

Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan had found Epps and sent him to MACO HQ to work on the re-coding of the implants, then she debriefed Harris on the problem and he sent two people to help. She had sent Major Hayes her plan, then quickly deleted it from her PADD. She made two more stops, then headed back to MACO HQ and went to the Communications Center.

Hayes and Williams looked up quickly as she came in.

"Mr. Epps is ready to try and re-code an implant." Hayes said softly.

Donovan nodded, "On me first. I'm the one that had the idea."

Jenkins frowned, "We'll have to put it behind your other ear. It could cause some disorientation." he pointed out.

"I'll be fine. We need to see if this will work." She sat down on a stool and waited.

Jenkins quickly came over and put in the new implant. He activated it and watched her carefully. Disorientation usually came pretty quickly. He watched as she took slow, deep breaths. "Doing alright?" he asked.

"Feeling a little nauseous, just give me a few minutes." she requested.

Jenkins nodded, "Just stay on that stool." He quickly gave her a hypo for nausea. He looked at Hayes, "She's ready."

Mr. Epps walked over to her slowly. He looked over the young woman carefully, "Lieutenant," he began, but she interrupted.

"I know this will work." she reassured him.

Epps nodded, "Okay, Lieutenant." He picked up his PADD and singled out her unique implant and activated the re-coding sequence. He held his breath and waited.

Kaitlyn looked up at the monitor and saw her blip change colors and grinned.

Walter Oliver Epps breathed in relief. _It worked._

Sgt. Jenkins patted Epps, "Great job." He turned to Major Hayes, "We'll have to bring each MACO in to do the re-coding."

Hayes nodded, "Alright, let's plan out a rotation schedule." He walked over to Epps and shook the man's hand. "Do me next."

Epps quickly re-coded Hayes' implant, then he went to review the re-coding information he had gathered from the two of them on his PADD.

Major Hayes move to Donovan, "What is your schedule tonight and tomorrow?" he asked.

"I'm going to go and check out the Banquet Hall at Starfleet Headquarters and work up the plan for securing the place. At 0630, I'm going running with Gardner. Tomorrow morning Admiral Forrest has two meetings. At 1400, I'm meeting with the Squad Leaders to go over the security plan. I've already sent the information to Paxton on how to secure his facilities. As far as I know, that's my schedule." she explained.

"Okay. I'll send you the rotation schedule as soon as we've worked it out." Hayes stated. He glanced at Williams, "I think he's had enough excitement for the day."

Kaitlyn smiled, "Probably. I'll make sure he goes home." She walked over to Williams, "Ready to go?" she asked.

Derek Williams nodded and opened the door for her. "Did you talk to everyone you needed to?" he questioned as they walked out of the building.

"I did. Thank you for updating the Admiral. I'm sure he's not pleased." she stated.

"He's okay. He knows you're on top of the situation. He trusts you, Kaitlyn." Derek said softly. He glanced at her, "Why don't we get a quick dinner at the corner cafe?" he suggested.

Kaitlyn smiled, "Wonderful - I'm starving."

xxxxx

2000 - Starfleet Headquarters

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan got out her PADD and pulled out the schematics of the Banquet Hall and indicated where she wanted her team members during the banquet.

She turned the corner and almost collided into Commander Keppler. She looked at him curiously, "What are you doing here?"

Keppler glared at her, "I'm going over the Security Details for the Banquet. Thanks to you, this is the only thing I'm in charge of right now."

She raised an eyebrow, "Okay, what do you have in place at the moment?" she asked him.

"I'm not telling you!" he shook his head.

"I'm in charge of the Admiral's Security - you will tell me, or you might not be in charge of this, either." she stated firmly.

Keppler scowled, "Fine. I'll send you my preliminary report in a little while." He turned and stormed out.

Donovan took a deep breath, then continued to annotate information on her PADD as she went around the room.

Kaitlyn finished up and headed out. She walked down the path and headed out the gates to the coffee shop down the street. She'd get a coffee to go, then head home.

She rounded the corner and stopped short when she found herself surrounded by six men in tan jumpsuits.

_She wasn't going to go down without a fight._


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek , though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2 - I love cliffhangers - expect more. Hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.

Star Trek gal - Suspense is the name of the game - glad you like it.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 17

The haze in Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan's mind started to lift as she sat up slowly. _Where was she?_ She looked around and realized she was on the sidewalk around the corner from the coffee shop she'd been headed to. The streets were quiet. _Too quiet._

Kaitlyn went to activate her communication implant and frowned when she felt a sticky substance instead. _Blood - _and the implant was gone_. _She realized her communicator, her PADD and her weapons were also gone. She touched the large bump on the back of her head and winced as her shoulders protested in pain. She frowned. Her left side hurt, the right side of her face felt swollen, and her wrists were sore.

She blinked rapidly as she remembered being surrounded by six men.

She replayed the confrontation in her mind. She had dislocated the first guy's shoulder, broken the next guy's knee - then she'd gotten shot in her upper left arm, and then hit on the back of her head and blacked out. She touched her arm and grimaced at the spot that was tender and sticky.

Kaitlyn stood up slowly and walked around the corner to the coffee shop.

One of the young male baristas was opening up the door and smiled at her, "Hey, you're here really early, Kaitlyn." He did a quick double take when he saw her condition, "What happened to you?" He hurried over to her.

She looked at him puzzled, "Adam, what do you mean I'm here early - what time is it?"

"It's four-thirty." He held the door open, "Come inside and I'll call the police."

_Four-thirty? What had happened in those seven hours?_

Adam quickly called the local police, then called MACO Headquarters. "Do you want me to get you water, or your coffee?" he asked as he came back over to her.

"No, thank you, Adam - they'll want to run some tests on me. Go ahead and get the place ready. I'll be fine while I wait for them." she tried to reassure him.

The San Francisco Police and the MACOs arrived about the same time, so she only had to give her account once.

Major Hayes arrived when she was explaining her injuries that she knew of at the moment.

Lieutenant Daven, the San Francisco Detective, frowned, "And you don't remember anything that happened from when you were shot until you woke up outside on the sidewalk?"

"No, I don't. But I will notify you if I do remember anything." Kaitlyn promised.

Major Hayes took in a deep breath, "Detective, I need to get her to the hospital to get checked out. I'll have all of the reports forwarded to you." He held on to Kaitlyn's arm as she stood up. Hayes looked at Cpl. Buchannan, "Get the shuttle ready and call Dr. Phlox and tell him we're coming in." He turned to LCpl. Rutledge, "Process the scene and bring it all back to HQ." he directed.

Detective Daven raised an eyebrow, "You're wanting to take over the responsibility of this investigation?" he asked Hayes.

Hayes nodded, "Yes. We've got missing weapons and technology. It would help us if you would put out a bulletin for information on those, and the six guys in tan jumpsuits. We'd appreciate it." He shook Daven's hand, then led Kaitlyn out to the shuttle.

Kaitlyn sat down in the shuttle and looked down at her wrists and frowned at the bruising and raw skin. She resisted the urge to touch them, just in case they could get forensic evidence from them. She glanced at Major Hayes, who seemed peculiarly quiet. "Could you have someone bring my gym bag to the hospital?" she requested.

Hayes nodded, "LCpl. Vinson is bringing it." He looked over her slowly, "Do you want me to get a message to Captain Gardner? I'm sure Dr. Phlox won't be through with you by the time you're supposed to meet him." he pointed out.

She nodded slowly, "I'd appreciate it." She winced at the pain that reverberated through her skull.

Major Hayes watched her intently, "They knew you had another implant."

She shrugged, "Well, they were smart enough to look for one." She frowned. She couldn't help but think that she was right about another MACO being involved.

xxxxx

Kaitlyn was shown to Doctor Phlox's examining room.

"If you'll go ahead and remove all of your clothes and put them in this bag, we'll take them to the lab." the nurse directed her. She indicated the gym bag, "One of your men brought it a few minutes ago. Change into your pt clothes. Doctor Phlox will be in shortly."

Kaitlyn nodded and went into the bathroom and changed quickly, then came out and sat on the table.

Doctor Phlox came in with the nurse in tow. She quickly retrieved the bag of clothes and left them alone. He scanned her with the medical tricorder and frowned slightly, "You have quite a few injuries this time - let's start with the most critical." He indicated her arm where the blackish burn was located. "This was shot fairly close to you, about seven feet?" he asked for confirmation.

"I don't remember." she stated.

Doctor Phlox looked at her curiously, "You don't remember getting shot?"

"I don't remember anything that happened after I was hit on the back of my head." Kaitlyn explained to him. _Hadn't they told him that piece of information?_

The doctor scanned her again and stopped at her neck at the small welt. He quickly took a sample of blood, then took it to a machine hooked up to his computer. "You were given a highly unstable neurostimulant. With the amount still left in your system, I would estimate you were given three doses." He walked back over to her and began cleaning the phaser burn on her arm.

"Why?" she questioned him softly. "Don't neurostilmulants actually heighten emotions?"

He nodded as he finished with her arm and started to clean the cuts on her face, "Usually, though it looks like they had tested a few drugs on you before they found out this one suppresses your memories." He gently rubbed a salve on the left side of her face to reduce the swelling. He indicated for her to lay down and started to heal her bruised stomach. "They seemed to have worked you over, perhaps that means you didn't tell them what they wanted to know." he suggested.

Kaitlyn shook her head gently, "Not necessarily, it could just mean that I resisted until they figured out what drug worked on me." She looked down at her wrists.

"Your shoulders are sore too?" he questioned.

She nodded and watched as he ran a scan over her wrists.

"Your arms were obviously restrained above your head for a bit of time." he pointed out as he put the salve on her wrists. He had her sit up slowly, then scanned the back of her head. "This is the second time you've gotten hit in the head this week - are you feeling agitated like you did last time?" he inquired.

"No, it's just sore and I've got a headache." Kaitlyn explained softly.

He came back around and stood in front of her, "I will need to keep you for observation for at least twelve hours."

Kaitlyn shook her head, "No way, Doctor. I've got a security detail to run." she stated.

He shrugged slightly, "This is not up for debate. You don't remember what happened for seven hours when you were obviously held against your will. I will not release you for duty until those drugs have worked their way out of your system and you begin to remember what happened." he said firmly.

Kaitlyn Donovan watched him carefully, "So, if I remember what happened - you'll release me?" she asked.

Doctor Phlox could see she was planning something, but he wasn't sure what she could possibly have up her sleeve. "I will be more inclined to release you for duty when you remember what happened." he explained carefully.

"I need to get a message to the Vulcan Embassy." she requested.

Doctor Phlox handed her a PADD so she could send a message, then he went to secure her a hospital room.

She quickly typed her message, then sat the PADD down. She hoped that T'Mira was on Earth. If there was anyone that could help her recover her memories - it would be T'Mira. She looked up as the door opened.

Major Hayes came in quickly, "Doctor Phlox said he was going to keep you here for awhile. Take this time to heal." he directed her. "Your squads will keep their rotations today. Did you happen to upload your security recommendations last night?" he questioned her.

"Yes." she did remembered that much.

He handed her his PADD and she quickly logged into her account and sent a copy of the file to him. "If they could walk the site this afternoon and make their recommendations, hopefully I'll be out of here tomorrow and I'll be able to do a walk through with them." she explained.

He nodded as she handed him the PADD, "I'll have them work on this today. I'll go by and debrief the Admiral before I head back to the office."

"Thank you, Major." she said as the Doctor came back into the room.

"Rest up, Lieutenant." Hayes ordered and left before the doctor could shoo him out.

Doctor Phlox helped her get down as the nurse brought in the wheelchair. He could see she was about to protest the mode of transportation and stopped her, "Hospital policy, not mine Lieutenant."

Kaitlyn was quickly wheeled to the third floor and helped into her bed for the day. She laid back as the nurse closed the blinds.

"Doctor Phlox suggested that you try to sleep for awhile. We'll be back later to check on you." the nurse smiled cheerfully and left.

Kaitlyn closed her eyes and tried to relax.

xxxxx

_Thwak._

Kaitlyn's head snapped back as the man's fist made contact with her face. She pulled at the cuffs on her hands above her head. "Why don't you uncuff me and try that again, you coward." she demanded and narrowed her eyes at him.

The burly brown haired man in the tan jumpsuit chuckled, "Not a chance - I saw what you did to those other two guys." he shook his head.

She could feel her face starting to swell up. She couldn't help but smile - she had managed to take two of them down when they had surrounded her on the street.

The man moved closer to her, "How did you know what explosives to look for on the Enterprise?" he questioned.

"Who's 'us'?" she inquired.

_Thwak._

Kaitlyn winced as her stomach muscles' screamed in pain. She bit the inside of her lip and breathed out slowly.

He grabbed a handful of hair and made her look at him, "You don't get to ask the questions. How did you know what to look for?" he repeated.

She rolled her stiff shoulders gently, "Because you are stupid enough to use the same materials in other recent bombings."

_Thwak._

She frowned as the phaser wound on her arm started to bleed again. She glared at the man.

"You need to get rid of the smart aleck attitude." he pointed out. He looked over as a compartment slid out of the wall. He went over and retrieved a hypo. He smiled evilly as he walked back over to her, "Maybe this one will help you be more cooperative." He injected the drug into the back of her neck and waited.

Kaitlyn could feel the effect of the drugs almost immediately and blinked rapidly as it became harder for her to breathe. With each breath she took in, it felt like her mind was becoming mud. She knew that her brain was not getting enough oxygen. Her head slumped down to her chest because she wasn't able to hold it up anymore.

She heard the door open and close.

"You think this drug will do it?" her pain-inflictor questioned the person that had entered the room.

"Without a doubt - she's already having trouble breathing. She won't remember." the other person stated.

Kaitlyn frowned as she could feel herself losing consciousness. _Who's voice was that?_

xxxxx

Kaitlyn Donovan shifted on her side as she opened her eyes and found another set of eyes watching her. "What are you doing here, Sam?" she asked as she pulled the covers to her chest.

Sam Gardner stood up from the chair and walked over to her bed, "I had to make sure you were okay for myself. They said you were attacked last night?" he questioned.

She pushed the button and had the head of the bed raise, "Yes." She winced as her head started to pound again. "I really don't want any visitors right now, Sam." she closed her eyes and pressed the call button for the nurse.

He didn't move away, "Do you know who did this to you?" he asked her softly.

She opened her eyes, "If I knew, I wouldn't be here - I'd be out there taking care of them with as much diligence as they afforded me." she said coldly.

Sam looked up as the door opened and the nurse came in quickly.

The nurse headed straight to Kaitlyn and turned off the call light on the wall behind her, "How can I help you, Lieutenant?" she smiled brightly.

Kaitlyn looked at the nurse, "My head is really hurting." she clenched her jaw as the pain increased again.

The nurse nodded, "I'll get Doctor Phlox." she turned and left just as swiftly as she came.

Sam looked at her wrists and frowned at the marks, "Kaitlyn, you need to take a few days to rest and heal up. I know you've done a great job at protecting the Admiral, but let someone else take over for awhile. Besides, I know the Starfleet Security Officer heading up the Banquet Detail - everything will be fine."

Kaitlyn sighed softly, "You know Keppler?" she questioned.

"Yeah, he's a good guy. He had a bit of a rough time last year when he was on the Mobius Outpost. He was there when that bomb went off. He blamed himself for not stopping it." Sam Gardner explained.

Kaitlyn nodded. _So, Keppler had been there when another one of these bombs had gone off. Coincidence? Surely not._ "He doesn't seem that capable to me." she said.

Gardner frowned, "He told me what happened on the Dock Yards. He didn't see any harm in not running those extra scans." he shrugged.

Kaitlyn frowned, "He didn't see any harm!" she raised her voice at him. "If you were ordered to complete a task in a certain order - would you improvise, or follow the expert's advise?" she demanded to know.

Sam raised his eyebrow at her tone, "You are _just_ a Lieutenant, he's got ten years in service over you."

She clenched her fists, "So, he's not only arrogant - but petulant, too? Just because someone has more time in service, doesn't make them better." she pointed out.

Doctor Phlox came in with a huge smile, then it slowly changed to a frown as he saw the readings on the screen behind her. _Her blood pressure was well over what it should be_. "Lieutenant, I don't think you are ready for visitors just yet." He turned to the man, "I'm afraid I'll have to ask that you leave, Captain." he directed.

Sam Gardner nodded slowly. _Obviously he'd upset her - and he hadn't meant too._ "I'm sorry, Kaitlyn. I'll talk to you later." he apologized, then turned and left.

Doctor Phlox gave her a hypo and watched as her blood pressure returned to normal. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing." she unclenched her fists and tried to take the bite out of her voice.

"Clearly he upset you." the Doctor stated.

"Clearly." she said softly and frowned.

Doctor Phlox analyzed the results as he scanned her again. "I'm afraid that the next seven to eight hours are not going to be pleasant for you, Lieutenant." he stated.

Kaitlyn looked at him questionably, "Why?"

"The drugs they gave you are highly addictive. There is nothing that I can give you to counter their effect on you without making things worse." Doctor Phlox explained.

She nodded that she understood. _Just what she needed - another eight hours of irritability_.

He moved the tray with her water jug and cup closer to her, "If you need anything, push the call button." he reminded her.

She stifled a laugh, "Will it do me any good?" _She seriously doubted it._

Doctor Phlox shrugged, then left quietly.

xxxxx

"You have a visitor, Lieutenant." the young nurse said as she came in to check on her again.

Kaitlyn sighed. She was really in a foul mood. The drugs were having adverse effects on her body. She'd been cursing up a storm a few minutes ago because it was so damn hot in the room - then she'd realized it wasn't the room, it was her own body temperature.

The nurse patted her hand gently, "I'll tell the Ambassador to come by later." she offered.

Kaitlyn was puzzled. _Why would the Vulcan Ambassador be here? Unless there was news about T'Mira._ "No, please have him come in." she requested.

The nurse nodded, "Okay. When the Ambassador leaves, I'll change the dressing on your arm." She patted Kaitlyn's hand one more time, then left.

Kaitlyn pulled the covers back up and smoothed them out. She'd gotten so hot that she'd thrown them to the end of the bed. She was sure the Ambassador wouldn't appreciate seeing her uncovered. _She hoped that she didn't look as bad as she felt._ This was not the image she needed to project as a MACO.

The Ambassador's guards came in and surveyed the room, then went to stand guard outside in the hall.

"Good morning, Ambassador." she nodded.

Ambassador Soval raised an eyebrow, "I do not think that you have had a good morning, Lieutenant." he stated.

"No, I haven't - it's just an automatic greeting. What can I do for you?" she questioned.

The Vulcan Ambassador stood a few feet away from the bed and clasped his hands behind his back. "I passed your message on to Commander T'Mira - unfortunately, she left for Vulcan a few weeks ago." he watched the human as her shoulders slumped slightly. "She told me that she has known you since you were six." he stated.

Kaitlyn let out a soft breath, "Yes, I have known her for awhile. Oh well - I just thought if she were on Earth, she could help me meditate. I thought that with her help I'd be able to get out of here faster." she admitted.

Ambassador Soval took note of her flushed skin and how much she was perspiring. "The drugs they gave you are hindering your ability to remember?" he questioned.

She looked at him curiously.

"I was there when Major Hayes debriefed the Admiral this morning." Soval explained.

She nodded slowly, "Yes - and the withdraw symptoms are not exactly pleasant." she pointed out.

Ambassador Soval took a deep breath and made the logical decision. "I will help you meditate." he stated.

Kaitlyn shook her head slowly, "Ambassador, I appreciate the offer - but I'm sure you have much more important things to do."

Soval looked at her pointedly, "And what will you do if I do not help you meditate? Wallow in self pity until the drugs finally leave your system?" he countered.

She decided that he was right. _ It was just her pride that was holding her back from accepting his offer of help. _"I thank you for your assistance, Ambassador." she nodded.

"We will require candles and a few other items. I will return in an hour." he said, then left the room.

Kaitlyn wondered if she was doing the right thing. _What if he figured out she was a touch telepath? What if he found out about some of the other things she could do?_ She pushed the button for the nurse again.

The nurse popped back in quickly, "Problems?" she questioned.

"Is it okay if I take a shower and have the sheets changed? The Vulcan Ambassador is coming back to help me meditate and I'm sure I reek because of how much I've sweat the past few hours." Kaitlyn explained.

The nurse smiled, "Not a problem. I'll change the sheets while you take your shower." She helped Kaitlyn get out of the bed. "Go ahead and take the wrap off your arm before you shower." she directed as Kaitlyn grabbed another set of clothes from her bag and headed to the bathroom.

xxxxx

Ambassador Soval had his Aide quickly set up the low table and two cushions on the floor. Soval placed a large candle on the table and lit it. He motioned for her to sit on the cushion on her side of the table. He sat down on his cushion and watched her closely. "Focus on the flame of the candle and control your breathing. Think of a peaceful place." he directed.

Kaitlyn focused on the flame and tried to regulate her breathing, but the sound of her heart pounding in her head was so loud that she couldn't concentrate.

Soval could hear that her breathing was becoming more uneven, he opened his eyes and noticed that she was perspiring heavily again. "Lieutenant, allow me to take some of your pain away." he offered.

Kaitlyn shook her head quickly, "It will be too overwhelming for you. T'Mira tried once and it knocked her out. I will try harder to concentrate."

Soval raised an eyebrow, "I have a higher pain threshold than Commander T'Mira. You will not be able to meditate in your current state." he pointed out.

_She knew he was right._ She nodded and reached her hand across the table.

Ambassador Soval clasped her very warm hand and closed his eyes. He was quickly bombarded with agitation, irritation, and humiliation. He frowned, _why would she feel humiliated?_ He opened his eyes and found himself in a large library filled with books. He walked to the end of the row and found Kaitlyn sitting on the floor surrounded by books around her. She was searching for something in a book, but obviously couldn't find it. She picked up another book. He knelt down beside her, "Why are we here?" he questioned.

Kaitlyn looked up slowly from the book and frowned. "You're not supposed to be here. You're supposed to be helping me meditate."

Soval looked at her curiously, then gazed around the huge library. "This is your mind?" he asked softly. He wondered how he had entered her mind. . . _A mindmeld was not possible with a human - was it? How had it been initiated? _He looked at the books surrounding her. They were titled with recent dates. He looked at the shelf next to him and saw that each book was a different subject. "Is this how you organize your thoughts?" he inquired.

She slammed the book shut and stood up quickly, "If you're not going to help me remember who detained me and what happened - get out!" she demanded.

Soval stood up slowly and nodded, "Forgive me, I was intrigued with how you organize your knowledge. I lost focus of our goal." He looked around, "We will not find answers here. Take us to when they surrounded you on the street." he directed her.

Soval watched as the scene played out in front of him as she fought off her attackers until she was knocked out. Next, they were in a small room and she was being questioned by one of the men. He winced as he felt her pain as she was hit in the face. _She did have a very high tolerance for pain_, he realized as she was hit in the stomach. She was also not afraid to antagonize her enemy. Soval moved closer to her as she was hit in the arm. The man went to the door and came back and injected her with a drug. Soval could feel her losing consciousness. "Kaitlyn, focus. Try to remember as much detail as you can." he encouraged her.

Soval looked up as another man came in the room and the two men spoke to one another. He blinked and he opened his eyes to the hospital room. He let go of her hand as she opened her eyes quickly.

She stood up as realization washed over her.

Ambassador Soval watched her carefully as he stood up and smoothed out his robes, "You recognized the man that came in?" he inquired.

Kaitlyn nodded as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Yes." _This mission had just become increasingly more complicated._


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2, Star Trek gal, SavanaSahara, and Tokorona - Thank you for the reviews - hope you all like this chapter.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 18

Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan walked over to the window and looked out. _Keppler._ She glanced at Ambassador Soval, "Commander Robert Keppler was the man that had stepped into the room. He had been in charge of the Dock Yard Security when the bombs were planted. He's working on the Security for the Banquet." she told him.

Ambassador Soval stepped closer, "He must be stopped, Lieutenant. You suspect that he planted the bombs?" he questioned her.

She nodded, "Yes." She felt very calm and in control, "Thank you for helping me, Ambassador." she smiled softly.

He bowed his head slightly, then watched her carefully. "I am curious as to how I was able to be in your mind." he said.

Kaitlyn shrugged, "That was interesting. Do you think you can help persuade Doctor Phlox to release me? I am feeling much better." she pointed out.

Ambassador Soval raised an eyebrow, "What will you do when you are released from the hospital?" _He was not sure that she wouldn't go after Keppler._

She lifted her chin, "I will update the Admiral and Major Hayes. We will tighten our surveillance on Commander Keppler." she stated evenly.

"You do not seek revenge?" he questioned.

Kaitlyn smiled slowly, "He'll get what's coming. We still need to find out some other details from him." She went to change into a clean uniform, and the Ambassador went to speak to Doctor Phlox.

Thirty minute later, she was released from the hospital and the Ambassador offered to accompany her to the Admiral's office.

They walked silently for five minutes, the Ambassador's guards in front of and behind them.

"Lieutenant Donovan, I would appreciate it if you did not mention what happened when I helped you meditate." he stated as he kept looking forward.

She nodded, "I won't." she promised. She glanced at him, "I take it this will not go in any report?"

"Of course not, Lieutenant." Ambassador Soval said.

They headed up to Admiral Forrest's office.

Lieutenant O'Dell stood up quickly when he saw her. _He had been worried every since he heard she'd been attacked. _He nodded to them, "I will tell the Admiral that you're here." he said quickly and went into the Admiral's closed office door.

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan noted that there was no MACO guarding the outer office. She reached for her weapon, forgetting that she didn't have one at the moment.

The Ambassador's guards had noted her actions and stepped closer to the Ambassador.

"What is wrong?" one of them asked her quickly.

"There should be a MACO on guard here." she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. _Something was very wrong_. "Transport the Ambassador out of here." she advised them.

The Vulcan guards nodded with her recommendation, gave the order into their communicator, and they quickly dematerialized.

The door of the Admiral's office opened quickly. Admiral Forrest, Commander Williams, and Lt. O'Dell came out.

Commander Williams came over and smiled as he touched her arm gently, "Are you okay?" he asked her softly.

She nodded, "I'm fine. Where's the MACO that's on guard?" she questioned them.

O'Dell frowned, "Corporal Zane wasn't feeling well, so he went to the infirmary." he explained.

She glared at O'Dell, "Without waiting for someone to cover his post?"

Admiral Forrest frowned, "I thought Ambassador Soval was here with you?" he inquired.

Donovan nodded, "I sent them away when I noted a MACO wasn't standing guard." She looked at O'Dell, "How long ago did he leave?"

"Maybe five minutes ago." O'Dell didn't understand why she was so upset.

Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan looked at the Admiral, "I think it's time for you to see if that rope ladder works, Admiral." she advised.

Admiral Forrest shook his head, "What do you think is going to happen?"

She ignored his question, "Do you have a weapon I can borrow?" she asked and moved them into his office, shut the door, then locked it.

Commander Williams opened his communicator, "Williams to Security." he requested.

They were met with silence - not even static over the communication link.

Lt. Donovan looked at Williams, "Zane was in charge of Keppler's Surveillance Team. Keppler was there last night when I was detained." she pointed out.

Forrest went to his desk drawer and pulled out a phase pistol and gave it to her. "Kaitlyn, you just got out of the hospital." _Perhaps she was a tad bit paranoid, _he tried to calm his own nerves as Commander Williams broke the large window by smashing the Admiral's chair into it.

She touched the Admiral's arm gently, "If I'm wrong - you can fire me." she shrugged. She nodded to Commander Williams. "Don't bother calling Starfleet Security - call the MACOs. Keep trying as you go down. They probably put up a dampening field around the Admiral's office." She turned to O'Dell, "Start climbing, Lieutenant." she ordered as she unrolled the rope ladder and threw it over the window.

O'Dell's eyes widened, "Are you serious?" he stammered. He didn't like heights, and climbing down the side of the building had no appeal.

Admiral Forrest patted O'Dell's shoulder, "Come on - she might throw us out the window if we don't hurry up." he smiled softly as he remembered what she told him a week ago. _Had it really only been a week since this whole mess started?_

O'Dell went down first, then Admiral Forrest.

Derek Williams looked down the ladder, then back to Donovan. "Kaitlyn . . ."

She smiled, "If you get the Admiral to safety - I owe you dinner." she promised.

They both looked up as the door was slammed against from the other side. Derek nodded and quickly went down the ladder.

Kaitlyn moved a few feet from the door and stayed against the wall and took aim.

The door busted open and Zane came in quickly with his weapon drawn. He ran to the window when he saw that it was busted open. "They're climbing down the ladder!" he yelled.

Keppler came in and went to the window and cursed. "You were supposed to make sure they didn't leave!" he grabbed the MACO by the arm. "How did they get tipped off?"

"Maybe you shouldn't have taken my implant out, then you could have tracked were I was." Kaitlyn stated calmly.

They whirled around.

She quickly stunned both of them. She went over and removed their weapons. She picked up Zane's communicator as she kept her weapon trained on them. "Donovan to MACO HQ." she requested.

"Donovan?" Major Hayes quickly answered as he ran. "What's going on? We just got a call from Commander Williams saying that you'd sent the Admiral out his office window." He was racing to Starfleet Headquarters, along with ten other MACOs.

"I have two people detained that were coming to take care of the Admiral. I'm in Forrest's office." she stated.

"I see the Admiral." Hayes signaled five of the MACOs to guard the Admiral, the rest of them kept pace with Hayes as they ran up the stairs of Starfleet Headquarters. "We're almost there." he told her.

Hayes and his Team quickly secured the Admiral's outer office, then he came cautiously to the inner office door. Hayes lowered his weapon as soon as he saw she had them incapacitated. He frowned at the Corporal, "Zane was working with them too?" he shook his head and ran his hand over his face. "We need to take them in quickly before word gets back to whoever they're working for." He was about to call some of his team in to get them, but she stopped him.

"I need to question them first." Harris said as he came in the door with two of his men in tow. Harris indicated the two unconscious men on the floor. Harris looked at Major Hayes, "Thank you for securing the area." He nodded and the two guards were transported with Keppler and Zane.

"Where are you taking them?" Hayes asked.

Harris smiled, "We won't keep them long, then we'll transport Corporal Zane to you."

"And Keppler?" Hayes questioned.

Harris shrugged, "Starfleet will have dibs on him." Harris looked at Kaitlyn, "Come along - I'll need your help."

_She knew exactly what kind of help he wanted_. Kaitlyn nodded to Major Hayes, "I will contact you as soon as I can."

Major Hayes stepped closer to her and lowered his voice, "I don't trust him." he stated.

She nodded, "Please see to the Admiral's safety, Sir." she requested as she walked over to stand by Harris.

Hayes nodded and watched as they were transported away. He stepped back into the outer office. "Have the other team bring them back in, we'll need to debrief the Admiral." he directed.

His team quickly got to work.

xxxxx

Harris stood beside Donovan as they watched the two men wake up in their separate interrogation rooms. "Who do you want to question first?" he asked her.

"Zane, that way we can give him to Hayes." she stated without hesitation. She glanced at Harris, "They didn't find my other transponder - do you know the location they took me to?" she inquired.

He nodded and clicked on another monitor so she could see the address and the building layout, "As soon as you are done questioning them, you can take a team with you and round up the ones that are there." he promised.

She walked into Corporal Zane's room and circled around him to the other side of the table.

Corporal Zane shook his head slowly, "How did you know something was wrong?" he asked her.

Lt. Donovan sat down in the other chair, "Because you should have been at your post." she pointed out.

Zane frowned, _he knew he shouldn't have left_ - he should have stayed at his post and waited for Keppler.

"What were you going to do to the Admiral?" she questioned him.

"I was supposed to take out Williams, Keppler was to take out Forrest - then we were going to make it look like O'Dell snapped and killed them, then killed himself." he explained the plan. "Then Keppler would 'find' them and lead the investigation."

"Why?" Donovan asked as she leaned closer to the table.

Zane's face contorted, "The Vulcans set a bomb off on the Mobius Outpost and killed Keppler's fiancé. The Vulcans have been holding us back! Well, we don't need their help anymore - they need to leave, and so do all of the other aliens that are infesting our planet!" he seethed.

Donovan sat back and watched Zane carefully, "Have these aliens done anything to you?" she inquired softly. She was beginning to see that this Terra Prime sought out specific people to recruit. In fact, she was beginning to think that maybe they targeted the person to recruit and then made something happen to push the person to their way of thinking.

"My brother died in that bombing." he stated coldly.

"I'm sorry for your loss." she said as she stood up. "The Vulcans did not plant that bomb." She stepped out of the room.

Donovan took a few deep breaths and went to Keppler's room.

He narrowed his eyes as soon as he saw her.

She sat down in the chair, "Explain why you planted three bombs on the Enterprise."

Keppler stared at her, determined not to say anything.

"We know you did it. The computer you worked on at the Dock Yards afforded us with the schematics, which is how I discovered how to disarm the third bomb." Donovan pointed out.

Keppler frowned.

She raised an eyebrow, "I remember that you were there last night when I was detained and questioned. You'd better start talking, because I'm not inclined to be gentle." she demanded.

Keppler blinked rapidly as she stood up and walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. _He distinctly remembered how she had dealt with two of the men that had attacked her, and he had no one to help protect him now._

Keppler quickly started talking. He admitted to planting the bombs on Enterprise, giving the explosive device to Torres to disable the Admiral's shuttle, killing Rhodes and sending him out the airlock, kidnapping her, falsifying reports, and attempting to kill Forrest.

"What did Rhodes do in all of this?" she questioned.

"He got the explosive materials for the bombs."

"You disabled the MACO communication implants?" she asked for confirmation.

He nodded, "Torres helped with that. Then after the second disruption, Zane told us we had two days that movements couldn't be tracked. We had to move up our schedule."

"What about stealing classified information?" she prompted.

"I only did that to help out the people that have been helping me." he shrugged.

"How have they been helping you?" she inquired.

"After Louann was killed in that bombing, they've helped me see the true nature of the aliens. These aliens look at Earth with all of its resources and see it as a place to conquer, they're just biding their time." he stated coldly.

She leaned back in the chair, "What does Paxton want with the information?"

"I don't know." he shrugged again.

"You expect us to believe that you just give him classified information and you have no idea how he's going to use it?" she slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

Keppler blinked rapidly, "I . . . I really don't know, but I know that Terra Prime will use it to help defend us from the alien takeover." he answered.

"What is Paxton's affiliation with Terra Prime?" she questioned as she walked around and leaned against the edge of the table near him.

"He's a follower, just like a lot of other businessmen. They see what's coming." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn placed a PADD in front of him on the table. "Write everything down. What you did, and what you know."

Keppler looked up at her, "You know that just because you stopped Zane and I, this isn't over."

She nodded slowly in agreement, "But, we did manage to save you from getting killed." she shrugged and stood up.

He frowned as she headed to the door, "What are you talking about?"

She turned back and looked at him incredulously, "Don't you see how they use people to do their bidding, then they have them killed? Look at Rhodes - he got the explosive materials for the bombs, then they had you kill him. Or O'Dell - they had him steal classified information, then they were going to have you kill him and set him up as the scapegoat. You know too much, Robert - I'm sure you were the next in line to be disposed of." She saw a glimmer of doubt wash over him, then she left the room.

Harris was waiting for her as she exited the room. "You know he's right - this isn't over."

"I know, the Admiral is still in danger." she crossed her arms. She walked over to the monitor showing the warehouse she'd been taken to. "It will be cleaned out. They don't leave anything behind, unless it implicates someone else. Have San Francisco PD go check it out." She turned to Harris, "Friday at the Banquet is still the best time for them to take out the Admiral." She sighed softly, "Jerry O'Dell needs to be picked up and taken into custody, for his own safety."

Harris nodded, "I'll have him brought in." he watched her carefully. _She seemed different._ He thought for sure that she would have roughed Keppler up a bit to get him back for what he had done to her last night. "Do you want to talk to O'Dell when we bring him in?"

"No. Just make sure he gets counseling." she said softly. She looked at Harris, "Terra Prime is very specific on the people they target."

"We'll make sure that we run thorough checks on everyone that could be affected in future incidents." he stated. Terra Prime had managed to weasel their way into getting the information they wanted, and having their loose ends tied up. _He wasn't going to let it happen again, not on his watch. _"I'm sure Paxton will be calling upon you soon."

"Yes. The question is, will he call me out for the people I've caught, or will he act like he's not involved?" she wondered.

Harris thought carefully, "I think he's going to try and use you at some point down the line. Be careful, Kaitlyn." he cautioned her.

xxxxx

1700 - Starfleet Headquarters

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan walked into the Admiral's outer office and nodded to Corporal Buchannan. "Everything quiet, Corporal?" she inquired.

Buchannan nodded, "Yes, Ma'am. We had the door fixed and the window replaced. They're in the Admiral's office." he indicated.

She nodded, then headed in.

Admiral Forrest stood up as she came in, "What did you find out?"

"That Terra Prime is manipulative, and very good at neatly packaging up loose ends. They were going to have the little office party earlier be a murder-suicide." she stated.

Commander Williams frowned, "They were going to blame it on O'Dell?"

Donovan nodded, "We had him picked up on his way home to get him out of harm's way."

"And he'll get the counseling he needs?" the Admiral asked for reassurance.

"Yes, Sir." She nodded and quickly explained everything else she'd learned from Zane and Keppler.

Williams walked over to the window and looked down. "So, we still don't know what they're going to do at the Banquet?" _Four more days of trepidation. _"How can you be sure they'll try something then?" he looked back at her.

"It will take a lot of Security in place to run the event, which will make it easier for someone to slip into the mix. It will be televised, which makes it an ideal place to gain support for their cause. Just think, if the Admiral is killed by an alien on a televised event - they would have a rallying point for humans." she pointed out.

Admiral Forrest frowned. _He was standing right here._ They were talking about him like he wasn't in the room. "Well, I for one, don't plan on getting killed on Friday." he state firmly.

Lt. Donovan smiled softly, "You won't, Admiral. I'll make sure of it." she promised. She looked at her watch. "Don't you have dinner plans?" she inquired.

Maxwell Forrest nodded, "Ambassador Soval has invited me to the Vulcan Embassy to dine with him." He walked over to Kaitlyn and shook her hand, "Thanks for having that rope ladder installed." he grinned.

Kaitlyn nodded, "Not a problem, Admiral." She watched as Corporal Buchannan escorted the Admiral out of the office. She turned to Derek Williams, "I owe you a dinner." she stated.

Derek shook his head, "I think I'm the one that owes you. Come on, I know a great Mexican restaurant."


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2 - Thank you for the review - hope you all like this chapter as well.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 19

0900 - Dock Yards

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed swiftly proceeded to the Conference Room of the Dock Yards and double checked to make sure that the room was ready for the Briefing.

Captain Jonathan Archer entered the room. He nodded as he walked over to Reed, "You've done a great job, Lieutenant. My Chief Engineer says that you and your teams have been very efficient and thorough with the Security Sweeps."

Lt. Reed gave Archer a quick nod, "Yes, Sir. We aim to be just that."

Archer grinned. _He could tell the man was all business just by the way he walked and talked._ He'd read Reed's service record and had been impressed with his varied trainings. The Lieutenant had helped design a lot of items coming out of the Weapon's Complex recently - even some of the components on the Enterprise's system. "Well, when all of this is done, I'd like for you to take a look at the weapon systems and make sure they were put in correctly." Archer stated.

"It would be my pleasure, Captain." Reed replied. He was a bit taken aback that the Captain was extending such an offer to him. He was just a Lieutenant of Security that worked at the Weapons Complex - _at least that was what was in his official records._ Granted, he did have a wide range of specialties under his belt. Reed glanced at the door as Admiral Forrest was escorted in by two male MACO guards, followed by Commander Williams. Reed was slightly disappointed, he'd hoped to finally meet Lieutenant Donovan in person today.

Lance Corporal Rutledge came over to Reed quickly and handed him a PADD, "Lieutenant Donovan sends her regrets that she could not attend today's briefing, she's working on the Banquet Security this morning. She says that has a few more security suggestions." the young MACO indicated the PADD.

Reed nodded as he looked over the two MACOs, "Why are there two of you with the Admiral?" he questioned Rutledge as Admiral Forrest spoke to Captain Archer and Commander Williams on the other side of the table.

"Lieutenant Donovan said that in light of recent revelations, there will always be two randomly selected guards with the Admiral." Rutledge explained.

Malcolm Reed nodded. _It was a wise precaution._ He glanced at the PADD, then quickly put it in one of his pockets to look over later.

Captain Archer indicated for the Admiral and Williams to sit down, then nodded for Reed to begin.

Lt. Malcolm Reed went to the large monitor and activated it, "Good morning, Gentlemen. This morning, I'll be briefing you on the latest security measures we've put in place at the Dock Yards and the Enterprise." he began.

1500 - Starfleet Headquarters

Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan walked down the corridor and stopped at Commander Williams' office.

Williams looked up from his PADD and smiled softly, "We missed you this morning at the Briefing." he stated as he waved for her to sit down in the chair across from his desk. "I think Lieutenant Reed wanted to finally meet you in person."

"I hope you extended my apologies. I did met with Lt. Commander Morrison this morning and we went over the Security details. He seems like a good officer. Early this afternoon, we had all of our people together and completed a walk through to get an idea of everything the Banquet on Friday will entail." she explained.

"So, the plans are detailed out?" he inquired.

"Yes." she nodded, then leaned forward. "I got an interesting message at lunch today. It seems that Mr. Paxton can't meet me at his office today, he has a prior commitment giving a speech at the Cultural Festival taking place at Bay Park this evening - so he invited me to meet him there." Kaitlyn explained.

Derek Williams frowned, "I don't like it - a lot of things could go wrong. We still don't know how he's going to play this out."

"I'd rather meet him there, than in his building." she pointed out.

"I'll come with you." he volunteered.

Kaitlyn smiled, "I thought you might - it's at 1800." she stood up.

1800 - Bay Park

Kaitlyn Donovan and Derek Williams walked through the gates of the park and headed to the festival. Food and game booths from an amazing amount of Earth cultures had been set up and people of all ages and walks of life were having fun in the carnival-like atmosphere.

She smiled as Derek came over and handed her a cup of lemonade.

"Anything interesting?" he questioned.

"There are some very unique booths here." she said as they continued to walk down the aisle. She pointed at the one with the laser rifle game that had targets of varying size.

Derek smiled, "Why don't you try it out?" he suggested and pulled out a wad of tickets from his pocket. They walked up to the booth. "How many tickets?" he asked the middle-aged balding man.

"Three tickets gets you five shots. The bigger targets are worth the smaller prizes, the smallest targets are worth the bigger prizes. You gonna try to win something for the lady?" the man questioned Derek as he handed him the laser rifle.

Derek grinned and handed the rifle over to Kaitlyn, "No, she is going to win something for me. I'd like that framed photo of the San Francisco Bay Bridge." he pointed out to her.

The man raised an eyebrow, "You'll have to hit all five of the smallest targets, you might want to start with the bigger targets first." he suggested to her.

Kaitlyn smiled at the man innocently, "I'll try my best." she said as she took aim at the smallest target.

Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping.

"That's real good shootin'." the man grinned at her. "You live on a farm when you were younger?" he asked as he got the framed photo down and handed it to Derek.

Kaitlyn handed the man his laser rifle back, "No, I just practice a lot."

"Really?" the man smiled. "There are a bunch of us here that practice at the range in Sausalito, if you want to come join us someday." he handed her a card for the practice range.

She smiled again, "Thank you, I just might do that. I'm Kaitlyn." she shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Kaitlyn. I'm Bernard Godsby." he looked at Derek, then shook his hand.

"I'm Derek Williams." he nodded as he shook the man's hand.

"Good to meet you, too." Bernard stated. "Check out the other booths we've got and test your skills. There are a wide variety of challenges from all over the world." he indicated.

"We'll do that. Thank you, Bernard." Kaitlyn waved as they went to check the other booths out.

"That was too easy for you." Derek grinned at her.

Kaitlyn shrugged as they walked to another booth that represented China. Beside the booth, they were doing Kung Fu demonstrations.

They made their way through the various booths and went to the area that had been set up for a concert on the stage. Chairs were set up towards the front and picnic tables towards the back.

They looked up as more shuttles were starting to land in the designated area on the other side of the concert area.

Kaitlyn smiled softly, a lot of the shuttles were from Finley Transport. "I wonder if Fin will be here?" she questioned.

Derek raised an eyebrow, "Seems like they're doing a lot of business tonight. Why don't we get something to eat while we wait?" he suggested.

They walked over to the food pavilion. Kaitlyn smiled as she saw the two Vulcans in their long robes.

"I do not understand why you insisted that I come to this festival." the female said coldly. "The smells are atrocious."

"It is beneficial for you to get out of the Compound and learn about these cultures for yourself, Sub Commander." Ambassador Soval stated. He spotted Lieutenant Donovan and Commander Williams and nodded to them as they approached.

Commander Williams returned the nod. "Ambassador Soval, I hope you are pleased with the festival."

The Ambassador raised an eyebrow, "It is a small representation of all of the cultures on your planet, but it is a good sampling." he stated, then turned to the Vulcan beside him. "Sub Commander T'Pol, this is Commander Williams and Lieutenant Donovan." he made the introductions.

Sub Commander T'Pol tilted her head slightly at the female. _This was the human MACO that had set up the new Security Protocols and disabled one of the bombs on the Enterprise?_ She did not look like a warrior in the casual jeans and shirt she was wearing at the moment. "Good evening." she nodded to them.

Kaitlyn Donovan had heard her comments about the smells earlier, "Sub Commander, you may find the Asian foods more suitable to your pallet. Madame Chang's is not as overwhelming as some of the other meat laden booths, the Egg Drop Soup is quite good." she suggested.

"I will wait to eat until we return to the Vulcan Compound." the Sub Commander stated firmly.

Kaitlyn shrugged, "Suit yourself." she turned to the Ambassador. "We have the plans for the Banquet ready, Ambassador. If you would like, I could go over the details with your guards tomorrow." she suggested.

Ambassador Soval nodded, "That would be beneficial. I will check with the Head of Security and arrange a meeting." He glanced around the people at the festival. They all seemed like normal humans, but something felt wrong. He was not sure what the problem was. He noted that the two guards with him were more tense than normal. _So, it wasn't just him that felt it._ He looked at Lt. Donovan. She, too, was looking around the area slowly.

"You feel it too, Ambassador?" Donovan questioned him softly. The hairs on the back of her neck had stood up a few moments ago. She looked towards the shuttles and saw Paxton and a few others arriving. "Perhaps you should leave, Ambassador." she suggested.

The Ambassador nodded and the Vulcan entourage left.

"What was that all about?" Derek Williams questioned as they stepped up to the Bar-B-Q booth.

"A feeling." she explained as she smiled at the woman working in the booth. "Could I get a Chicken basket, please?"

"Sure, sweetie. And for you?" the matronly woman asked Derek.

"A rib basket, please." he replied. He quickly paid and they walked over to one of the picnic tables and sat down. "What kind of feeling?" he prompted her.

"That someone was watching us." Kaitlyn said as she took a sip of her lemonade.

"Isn't that normal? A lot of people haven't seen too many Vulcans." he pointed out.

She shook her head, "This wasn't just curiosity. It was something much more intense. Anyhow, we needn't have the Vulcan in an unsafe environment."

"You think it's unsafe here?" he frowned and looked around the festival. Everything looked normal.

Kaitlyn cut a piece of chicken, "Something's off here. I can't put my finger on it right now." she shrugged.

Derek started to eat his ribs as a band started to set up on the stage. _ He wondered what all of them had noticed, that he hadn't._

"Kaitlyn Donovan!" a man called and limped slightly as he walked over to them.

She looked up and smiled quickly, then stood up. "Fin! I wondered if you'd be out here. Looks like ya'll are really busy tonight." she hugged the tall, well built man. She turned to Derek and introduced them. "Fin, this is Commander Derek Williams."

The two men shook hands and Kaitlyn indicated for him to sit down with them.

Fin looked over her carefully, "So, how have you been?"

Kaitlyn nodded, "Fine. I'm working on Admiral Forrest's detail at the moment."

Fin frowned, "Since when are MACOs guarding Starfleet officers?" he questioned.

"Since they need our help." she glanced at Fin. "Did the Mullens and Sanders come by?"

Fin smiled, "They did. Nice bunch of people. Said they were going to come back out in a few months and would set something up with me. Thanks for sending business my way." he patted her shoulder gently.

Kaitlyn smiled, "Just helping out a fellow MACO." She watched him carefully. "Are you here just dropping people off, or are you here to enjoy the festival?"

"I'm networking tonight. A lot of the people here use my company." he smiled softly. He looked at Derek, "Heard in the news that Starfleet is about ready to test the Enterprise's engines."

Derek nodded, "Very soon."

Fin shook his head in amazement, "Warp 5 - that's something. Makes my transports look like snails."

"Well, we will always need transports for flights in the planet's atmosphere." Williams pointed out to Fin.

Fin nodded, "That's true. What would happen if the ship stopped abruptly out of Warp?" he asked.

"All of the biological objects on board would probably be pulverized into ash." Kaitlyn commented as she sipped her drink. She looked up as the men were staring at her. She shrugged, "Sorry, but that's what will happen if the inertial dampeners don't take hold and control the deceleration of the ship - its physics." she pointed out.

Fin chuckled softly, "There is no way you could get me in one of those ships." he shook his head.

"There are safeguards to prevent such things from happening." Derek Williams reassured the man.

"I'm still not getting on. Kaitlyn here has a way of stating things that make you think twice before you do something." Fin glanced at her and frowned, "If only I'd listened to you, I wouldn't have gotten hit."

"We can't change what happened in the past. You've done well for yourself, Fin. I'm proud of you." Kaitlyn smiled at her former MACO Sergeant.

Fin nodded and watched her for another moment. He stood up slowly, "I'd better get to networking if I want to keep doing well. Good to see you again, Kaitlyn. Nice to meet you, Commander." he shook his hand again.

Kaitlyn watched as Fin walked away and easily started talking to a group of people.

"Fin seems real nice. What did he get hit by?" Derek questioned as he started to eat.

"An explosive device." Kaitlyn explained. "We had been deployed to Alpha Centauri." _She wondered if that device had tri-cobalt in it? _She shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled at Derek, "Well, this has been an interesting night so far."

He nodded and glanced around. That's when he spotted Paxton coming over to them. "Your friend is coming." he warned her.

She smiled to Paxton as he approached their table, "Good evening, Mr. Paxton." she shook his hand.

"Thank you for coming, Kaitlyn." he smiled, then looked at Derek questionably.

"Mr. Paxton, this is Commander Williams." she introduced the men.

Paxton nodded, "Pleasure to meet you. Thanks for meeting me here. I think this Cultural Festival is a wonderful way to embrace the diversity on our planet. We should celebrate it."

"Well, from what we've seen - it's very unique." Williams smiled.

Paxton eyed Williams carefully, then turned his attention to Kaitlyn. "We're putting the Security measures in that you recommended. They should all be up and running by the time you go to Mars. I'd really like it if you'd come check it out yourself when you're there to make sure we haven't overlooked anything." he suggested.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I'll speak to my Commanding Officer. I'm sure I can get a shuttle hop to the Moon and inspect the facilities before we head back."

Paxton grinned and patted her shoulder as he stood up, "Great! I'll make sure I'm there. Enjoy the rest of your evening." he waved as he left with Josiah and a few others.

Derek Williams frowned, "You had to meet him just so he could tell you that? Why didn't he just send you a message?" he questioned her.

"He likes to speak to people directly. It's also a control issue. If you want to do business with him, you have to be able to meet with him - no matter how inconvenient it may be for you." she pointed out.

Derek shook his head slightly, "That's some kind of power trip." he glanced back to Paxton as he was quickly surrounded by a flock of people. "I wonder what he's speaking about tonight?"

"Looks like we won't have to wait long to find out." she indicated as people started to come and sit down in the chairs by the stage. She sipped her drink and was amazed by how quickly the seats filled up. There hadn't been an announcement of any sort.

They watched as John Paxton walked up to the microphone on the stage and smiled softly as the crowd clapped.

"Thank you for coming out tonight. We are gathered here this wonderful evening to celebrate the cultural diversity of our planet. A world with such varied histories is what makes Earth our home. We must embrace what we have and not allow anyone to take that away from us. We have all heard of the horrific murder of a college student a few weeks ago by an alien." he looked out at the crowd as they nodded slowly. "We must be vigilant to ensure that other world's problems do not become ours. We must insist that our government run full background checks on all aliens wishing to visit our planet. I encourage you to help us in our plight to keep Earth safe. Take the time to add your signature to our petition to the government. We must do what we can to keep our loved ones safe on our planet. Thank you." Paxton smiled softly as the crowd stood up and cheered his words.

Derek Williams looked quickly at Kaitlyn, "Is this festival a front for a Terra Prime rally?" he asked softly.

Kaitlyn frowned, "Possibly." She looked around at all of the people. "This could just be a way for them to meet more people, get more names. Paxton certainly knows how to pull at people's emotions with his choice of words." This cultural festival was a great way to get people to unite together. Terra Prime was very clever. She wondered if they would ever learn Paxton's role in the organization - _Was he just a person that gave speeches? Or was it something more? _

"Well, I think I've had enough of the festival. Are you ready to leave?" he asked as he threw the trash away, then picked up his framed photo and put it under his arm.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I'm ready to go."

They slowly walked back down through the aisles of booths to the gate.

"So, what will you be doing tomorrow?" Derek asked.

"I will actually be at the office with the Admiral. Now that we have everything detailed out, we've got our people preparing the site." Kaitlyn explained.

"Well, that's good." he smiled softly as they reached the gate. "Want me to walk you to your door?" he offered.

She smiled, "If it will make you feel better."

Derek Williams sighed softly, "It would." They walked down the streets and headed to her apartment. He walked with her up the steps and waited for her to open the door. "I'll see you in the morning, Kaitlyn." he waved as he left.

Kaitlyn went in and locked the door, then put her handbag down on the table. She walked over to her computer when she saw the light flashing that she had a message. She turned the monitor on and clicked on the message icon.

Her dad's image came on the screen, "Hey, Kaitlyn. Sorry I missed you, give me a call." he said, then the transmission ended.

She sighed softly and sat down in the chair. She pushed the icon to make the communication link back to her father. She waited a moment for the connection to go through.

She smiled as Dr. Drake's image came on the screen. He smiled back when he saw her, "Kaitlyn, how are you doing?" he questioned.

"I'm doing fine, thank you. I'm just returning my father's call." she explained.

Drake grinned, "We all wanted to thank you for having that mining equipment sent out. Doctor Lennertz is actually out here helping us for awhile. How did you come up with using that equipment?" he inquired.

She shrugged, "I'd read something, then I went to hear a lecture from Mr. Paxton." she stated.

"Well, we're hoping to get some very useful data tomorrow." Drake said, then looked off screen. "Hey, here's your dad, kiddo. Thanks again." he left the screen.

Her father sat down and smiled when he saw his daughter's image. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, Daddy. I'm glad you got the equipment, I hope it helps." she smiled.

"I think it will." he leaned closer to the screen. "How did you get Paxton to send this equipment and Dr. Lennertz to us?" he questioned her.

"It's part of my payment for helping him with his Security Protocols." Kaitlyn explained.

Her father sat back in the chair. "Kaitlyn, this equipment is outrageously expensive. You must being doing something for him that is equally as important." he waited for her to comment, but she didn't. He sighed softly. She was as stubborn as her mother about giving information up. "So, Maxwell said you're on his Security Detail now."

Kaitlyn nodded, "I am."

Her father frowned again at her lack of conversation. "Well, we're doing fine here, especially with the guards that arrived with the equipment." he commented.

Kaitlyn sat up slowly, "How many guards came?" she inquired softly.

"Five of them. Luckily, they brought all their own tents and food - even brought out a cook. That guy can make a mean steak." Allen Donovan admitted.

Kaitlyn quickly typed in the information on her PADD. "How many of you are out there, Dad?" she asked casually.

"Oh, six of us scientists and two Starfleet Security." he looked at his watch. "Well, it was great hearing from you. Thanks again for sending the equipment."

"Okay, Dad." she smiled softly as her father ended the link. She frowned immediately. The Scientific Team was almost outnumbered now. She quickly typed up the rest of the information she'd learned this evening and sent her report to Harris. _She might have just unexpectedly put her father's expedition in danger._


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2 - Such a wonderful review - I'm working on it.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

This story has a few more chapters to go. The sequel will be titled "All's Fair in Love and War".

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 20

0730 - Starfleet Medical Facilities

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan walked in slowly and headed to Dr. Phlox's office. He had called her before her pt session with her unit and requested that she come in to see him afterwards. He hadn't said anything other than that, so she had no idea what he wanted to see her about. She knocked on his open office door.

The Denobulan Doctor stood up from his desk and smiled. Not his normal exuberant smile, but one that was evidently out of courtesy. "Come in, Lieutenant."

"Good morning, Doctor. How can I help you this morning?" she inquired.

"There is a patient in this building requesting to see you. Lieutenant Jerry O'Dell. He is not doing well. His Doctor asked for my help because he has not been responding well to his treatment. I thought that it may do him some good to have a visitor." Doctor Phlox explained.

Donovan swallowed hard, "Why does he want to see me? I just met him a week ago." She really didn't want to see Jerry. When she had read his mind, she'd learned just how far gone he was and to what extreme Terra Prime had manipulated him.

"He insists on seeing you. I don't know why." the Doctor admitted. He watched curiously as a wide range of emotions crossed her face before she made her decision.

"For a few minutes." she agreed.

Doctor Phlox nodded and they walked down the corridor to the lift and went to the fourth floor. He stopped at the fifth door on the right and looked at her. "He is restrained. If he becomes agitated, press the call button. I'll be waiting at the Nurses' Station over there." he indicated the counter.

Kaitlyn entered the room quietly. The curtains were open and the sunlight was streaming in through the window. She slowly walked to the bed where Jerry was sprawled out, his head turned to the window. "Hello, Jerry." she said softly as she came closer.

He turned his head and smiled slowly as he saw her, "I was afraid you wouldn't come." he admitted and sighed heavily.

"I'm not sure what I can do for you, Jerry." she sat down on the stool beside his bed and watched him carefully.

"After they gave me a few drugs, I remembered you questioning me." he frowned. "So, you know what happened to my family? You know what I've done?" he asked.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I know everything." She touched his hand gently, "Jerry, they manipulated you. The Vulcans didn't cause the accident that killed your family. The bomb on that transport was headed to a Vulcan ship." she explained. She quickly yanked her hand back as she was scorched with hatred emanating from him.

"It was too the Vulcans!" he seethed and pulled at the restraints on his hands.

Kaitlyn stood up slowly. She could see why his treatment wasn't working. He was still holding on to a planted lie and he still couldn't accept that he had been manipulated - because that would mean that he would have to accept the fact that he betrayed Starfleet. _She wondered if she could show Jerry what she'd seen from Keppler's mind?_ She'd seen Keppler plant the bomb on the transport. He'd even watched O'Dell's family die, and she'd seen his conversation with Jerry about helping them get back at the people responsible for his family's deaths. She'd never tried it before and she didn't know if it would work. "Jerry, I'd like to show you something - but you will have to calm down." she explained softly.

Jerry O'Dell looked at her curiously, "What do you want to show me?"

"I want to show you the person responsible for your family's deaths. I don't think you will get any better until you accept what really happened." she told him. She watched as he took deep, calming breaths.

"Okay." he nodded.

Kaitlyn walked back over to his bed and touched his arm gently. She closed her eyes and thought back to what she had seen Keppler do and concentrated on playing it out in her mind. When Keppler's conversation with Jerry finished that night, she pulled back and watched Jerry.

A tear ran down Jerry's cheek and he frowned as he shook his head. "Why?" he questioned softly as he looked at her.

"They wanted you to get information for them, Jerry. Terra Prime is very manipulative." she stated.

Jerry took a shaky breath, "The Admiral and the Commander, they know what I did too?"

Kaitlyn nodded, "They know you were set up. They're very concerned about you."

He looked back out the window, "Thank you for coming to see me, Kaitlyn." he said softly.

Kaitlyn Donovan tried to smile, "If you'd like for me to come by again, I will. Good bye, Jerry." she walked out the door and leaned against the wall. She felt drained. She shook off her apprehension and headed to Doctor Phlox.

"Did everything go well?" the Denobulan inquired softly.

"Yes. Thank you for calling me." she smiled tiredly.

He looked at her closely, "Are you feeling okay? Do you have a headache?"

She waved him off, "I think just talking to him really bothered me. I'll be fine." she reassured him. "If he wants to see me again, just call and leave a message."

Doctor Phlox nodded, "I will do so. Have a good day, Lieutenant."

Kaitlyn turned and headed out of the building.

0815 - Starfleet Headquarters

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan quickly came in the Admiral's outer office and gave Rutledge a curt nod, "Everything's going well?" she asked him.

Lance Corporal Rutledge took note of her pale features, "All is well here. Are you sure you're up to being on duty - you don't look so good, Ma'am." he grabbed hold of her elbow as she swayed slightly.

"Just give me another few minutes." she swiftly headed for the nearest Head and threw up again. She'd already gotten sick twice on the way over from the Medical Facilities - hence the reason she was late to her post this morning. She leaned over the sink and splashed her face with cool water. She closed her eyes tightly. _Okay!_ she screamed at herself in her mind. _She would never try that again, she'd learned her lesson. _She took slow, steady breaths and pushed what she'd done to the back of her mind and buried it. _She wouldn't do it again,_ she promised herself. She took a few more calming breaths and splashed some more water on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror as she patted her face dry. The color was slowly returning to her features. She threw the towel away and went back to her post.

Rutledge nodded as he noted that she looked better, "Something didn't settle right?" he inquired.

Donovan smiled lopsidedly, "Something like that. Make sure you head down to the Banquet Hall and get an update on your assignment from Buchannan before you head home." she directed.

"Yes, Ma'am." he nodded and left quickly.

Donovan looked over at the empty desk in the outer office, they had felt it was better to hold off finding a replacement Aide until after the testing of the Enterprise's Engines. She headed to the Admiral's office and nodded to Corporal Paulason, who stood his post at the inside of the door.

Admiral Forrest looked up at Donovan, then glanced at Paulason.

Donovan turned to the Corporal, "Take the post in the outer office." she directed him.

"Yes, Ma'am." he headed into the outer office.

She raised her eyebrow in question at the Admiral.

"I heard that Paxton sent a team with his equipment to your father's expedition." Forrest stated.

Kaitlyn Donovan nodded, "Did my father contact you?" she inquired.

Maxwell Forrest sat down in his chair. "He did yesterday. Kaitlyn, we've been trying to get that equipment for your father's team for three months - since we first learned about it. He wanted to know what the cost was." he watched her closely. _What had it costs her? What part of her morality did she have to overlook in order to get closer to Paxton?_ "I told him that I didn't know." he admitted.

Lt. Donovan clasped her hands firmly behind her back. The fact that Starfleet had been trying to get the equipment only confirmed her theory that Terra Prime sought out people to use and take advantage of when they wanted something. "The price is nothing worth mentioning, Admiral."

"How do we know that Paxton won't turn around and use your Security Protocols against us down the road?" the Admiral questioned.

"I have taken precautions." she stated firmly.

Admiral Forrest leaned forward, "Can those precautions be traced back to you?"

"Undoubtedly, but they will not become known until after we activate them." she explained. "I have already detailed out the Mining Facility and Paxton Industry Headquarters and archived them." she reassured him.

Forrest watched her for a few more moments, then stood up. "We have a meeting with Ambassador Soval and his Security Detail in the Conference Room." He nodded as Commander Williams came in and indicated that it was time to head to the meeting.

0910 - Conference Room, Starfleet Headquarters

Commander Sopek and Sub Commander T'Pol had been listening to the female MACO explain the details of the Banquet Security for the past twenty minutes without interrupting, when she finally concluded.

Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan waited for them to comment on the plan. She kept her facial expression even and calm.

Commander Sopek spoke first, "You have overlooked three key access points on the inside of the Banquet Hall." he indicated the three locations on the monitor.

Donovan smiled inwardly as she quickly touched on the monitor and revealed their plans, "Actually, we didn't overlook it. We would like for Vulcan Security to be at each of those locations." she stated.

Sub Commander T'Pol looked at the human cautiously, "Why?"

Lt. Donovan indicated the positions, "These locations are closest to the Ambassador, it is a natural vantage point for you to take to protect him. I'm sure that you will not trust the Ambassador's safety solely to us. If three of your people can be stationed here, we can take care of the rest." she explained.

Commander Sopek nodded, "A logical request, one which we will commit to do." he stated.

"Any other recommendations?" Donovan asked them.

Sub Commander T'Pol raised an eyebrow, "Your plans are adequate, Lieutenant."

Commander Sopek glanced at the human female, "You have done well for one so young and inexperienced."

Ambassador Soval had been sitting at the table and listening to the plans as Donovan had detailed them out, he decided to speak up before things got out of hand. He stood up and walked over to them. "The plans are more than adequate, Lieutenant Donovan. They also reveal that you are wise beyond your years." He looked at Sopek and T'Pol and they bowed slightly to his authority and stepped back. Ambassador Soval looked over the human female, "I wish to express my gratitude to you for sending us the information you learned about the festival last night after we left. Be cautious when dealing with Terra Prime, they have revealed their true nature over the past week."

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan nodded, "We will, Ambassador." she agreed.

Admiral Maxwell Forrest had been watching Donovan's interactions with the Vulcans and couldn't help but admire her ability to keep calm when they made those snide comments about her and her plans. _The Vulcans always seemed to be able to push his buttons and make him fly off the handle._ Forrest waited for the Ambassador by the table.

Ambassador Soval walked back over to Admiral Forrest and stood silently for a moment, contemplating his words. "Since you will not take our advice to wait on testing the Enterprise's Engines - I offer them Peace and Long Life." he stated. "I look forward to your speech at the Banquet, Admiral." Ambassador Soval nodded, then the Vulcan entourage left the room.

Commander Williams looked at Admiral Forrest in shock, "Did he just wish them the equivalent of good luck?"

Forrest nodded, "I think so."

Lt. Donovan clicked off the monitor and wiped the Security plans from the memory of the computer, "He did." she turned to them. "He was also wishing you the same sentiment, Admiral."

Forrest smiled softly and crossed his arms, "Was it my imagination, or were you goading them into providing security at those three positions?" he'd just realized what she'd done.

Donovan raised an eyebrow, "Admiral, I would never presume to tell another government how to run their Security - I simply pointed out that the alternative was that we would provide for the Ambassador's safety, if they didn't take those positions." she shrugged slightly.

"I think I need to take some lessons from you, Lieutenant." Forrest patted her arm and indicated for her to lead the way.

Commander Williams stayed back with Donovan while the Admiral went into his office. "You want to grab lunch with me?" he suggested.

"That would be nice, but I've got a Weapons Requalification to do." she shrugged.

"I thought you'd already done your Requalification this year?" Williams frowned.

"Officially, yes. But at least two weeks prior to each planned mission, we have to do it again - it's just a step in the process." she reassured him. "Why don't you come with me to Antony's tonight?"

Derek Williams grinned, "I can't say no to Antony's." he admitted.

1130 - MACO Firing Range

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan walked up to the Ordinance Officer in the Armory cage and handed him her ID badge.

The Gunny swiped the badge and handed it back to her. "Weapons Requal. Five shots at each: 500 yards prone position; 200 yards kneeling; and 100 yards standing - all with the rifle in less than fifteen minutes. Ten shots at 50 yards with the pistol in less than five minutes. Any questions?"

"No, Gunny." she replied as she handed over her weapons in exchange for the two from the Armory.

He locked her weapons up in the locker and came out of the Armory cage with his PADD and led her to the range outside. "You get one shot to gauge the wind, Ma'am." he reminded her.

She put the pistol in her holster and walked to the 500 yard marker and quickly dropped to the prone position and took aim with the rifle at the target and sent off a single shot.

"Center mass, Ma'am." the Gunny nodded. "I'll start the timer as soon as you're ready." he stated.

"Begin the timer, Gunny." she directed as she took aim and shot the target five times, then got up and moved up to the 200 yard marker and kneeled. She took aim and shot the target five more times, then moved up to the 100 yard marker. She stood and shot five more into the target. She slung the rifle over her shoulder and pulled the pistol out of the holster as she got to the 50 yard marker and shot the target five more times. She turned to the Gunny and looked at him questionably as she holstered the pistol.

He looked at the PADD and frowned. "I'm sorry, Ma'am - you didn't qualify."

Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan felt her world come to a screeching halt, "What do you mean, I didn't qualify?" she demanded.

The Gunny shook his head, "The only target you hit was the wind gauge shot, nothing else registered as a hit to the target, Ma'am." _It was highly unlikely that she would have made that shot, and none of the others._

"Gunny, something is wrong with your target's sensors. I always qualify, I never miss a shot." she pointed out. She closed her eyes, _Terra Prime. _It had to be them. _How in the hell had they managed to do this?_

He nodded, "I see that from all of your past Qualifications, Ma'am." He sighed softly, "Unfortunately, regulations state that you cannot get your weapons back until you pass another requalification test in three days. I'm sorry, Ma'am."

"This is not right, Gunny. What are my options?" she asked him.

"You can file a formal protest and have the weapons and the target checked out by the Weapon's Complex." he stated.

She nodded and touched her communication implant, "Donovan to Tinner." she requested.

"Tinner here, Ma'am." came the quick reply.

"I have a situation at the Weapon's Range. Are you available?" she inquired.

"I'm on my way there now. Be there in five." Tinner stated and picked up his pace.

Donovan activated her PADD and sent a comm flash to Lt. Reed. She tried to remain calm as she waited for Reed to answer.

"Lt. Reed here." his image came on the screen.

"Lt. Donovan here. I'm at my weapon requalification and I've just been told that I didn't pass. Lieutenant Reed, I don't miss." she emphasized.

Reed frowned, "Did it register you hitting the target at all?" he questioned, a multitude of scenarios running through his head.

"Only the wind gauge shot." she explained.

"File a formal protest. I'll come down and inspect the weapons and the target sensors myself. Do you have someone to take possession of them? It will take me twenty minutes to get down there." Reed stated.

"Corporal Tinner is on his way." Donovan replied.

"Very well, Lieutenant. Go make yourself scarce - you can't be around whilst I inspect the weapons and the target. I'll send the order to shut the range down until the inspection is completed. If our 'friends' have anything to do with this, I'll find out shortly." Lt. Reed reassured her.

Donovan nodded, "Thank you, Lieutenant Reed." she ended the link. She looked up at the Gunny.

Gunny Thomas nodded, "I'm sure Lt. Reed will discover what the problem is, Ma'am."

Corporal Tinner came over to her and she quickly explained the situation.

"Only hand these two weapons over to Lt. Reed - understood?" Donovan questioned.

"Yes, Ma'am." Tinner replied as he was handed the rifle and the pistol from Donovan. "I'll stay here with Lt. Reed - where will you be, Ma'am?"

"I'm going to go talk to Major Hayes, then go back to Admiral Forrest's office." she frowned at the thought of leaving her weapon's here at the Armory, where they could possibly be tampered with. She looked at the Gunny, "I can still keep my knife, right?"

The Gunny nodded, "Yes, Ma'am - but that's the only weapon you can be in possession of until you requalify, or the investigation overturns the scores." he explained.

Donovan took a deep breath, "Sorry to shut your range down, Gunny." she apologized. It wasn't his fault. At least, it had better not be. She touched his arm as they walked back inside to the Armory. She quickly sifted through his memories as she spoke to him, "You will make sure that no one touches my personal weapons, right Gunny?" she asked, then removed her hand. _He was genuinely confused as well as to why she missed the targets. _

"I will keep them locked up and safe for you, Ma'am." the Gunny promised her.

"Thank you, Gunny." she turned to Tinner. "Thanks for waiting here for Lt. Reed."

Corporal Tinner shrugged, "I was just coming for my weapons requalification, too. I'd prefer to know the equipment is working before I test." he pointed out.

She looked at the Gunny, "Has anyone else come in today from our unit?"

"No, Ma'am - you were the first one scheduled." the Gunny stated as he looked over the day's schedule and the orders to shut the range down came in. He quickly touched an icon on his screen that automatically sent a message to each person scheduled today that the range was shut down and their tests would be rescheduled.

"Thank you, Gunny." she nodded to both of them, then headed to MACO Headquarters.

1220 - MACO Firing Range

Lieutenant Reed nodded to Gunny Thomas and Corporal Tinner as he entered the building with his bag in hand. "Good afternoon, Gentlemen."

"Good afternoon, Lt. Reed." Gunny Thomas shook Reed's hand and waved for him to come out to the firing range. "What would you like to analyze first?" he questioned.

"Let me take the initial scans of the two weapons." Reed sat down the bag on a table and pulled out his diagnostic scanner. He scanned the rifle as Tinner held it. He watched as the readings came through. _Seemed fine_. He scanned the pistol, same thing - both of the weapons registered as working properly. "Let's go check out the target's sensors." he indicated for Gunny to lead the way.

Lt. Malcolm Reed scanner the target as they approached and stopped short when they got within five feet of it. "Stop." he directed the two men.

They turned and looked at him curiously.

"I'm picking up a dampening field around the target, it's on a rotating frequency." Reed stated as he approached the target slowly and kept scanning. He found the six inch round disk on the base of the target. He walked to the next target that was ten feet away and noted that the dampening field did not reach this target. He turned back and went to the target on the opposite side and noted the same. _Only the target Donovan used was affected. _He look at the Gunny as he came back to the original target, "Gunny, who assigns the target lane to be tested on?"

"The computer assigns the time, the lane, and the specific weapons." Gunny Thomas explained.

"Only this target is impacted by the device." Reed pointed out as he opened his communicator. "Lt. Reed to Lt. Lawson." he requested.

"Lawson here, how can I assist you?" the reply came quickly from the officer stationed in the Secured Testing Room of the Weapon's Complex.

"Lawson, I've found a dampening field device on one of the targets at the MACO Firing Range. It has a rotating frequency. It needs to be analyzed, do you have any suggestions as to how to get it to you without it shutting down in the process?" Reed asked as he sent the readings he'd taken of the device.

Lt. Lawson analyzed the scans, "Looks like we can transport it to the Secured Room, do you have a transport tag with you?"

"I do have one." Reed reached in his bag and got out one of the tags, then placed it on the device. "It's ready for transport." he told Lawson.

A few moments later the device dematerialized.

"I've got it here. Give me about an hour and I'll have a detailed report about this device." Lt. Lawson stated as he scanned it. "Most likely it was transported to where you found it - I doubt if anyone can just stroll up to those targets and put it on without anyone noticing." he suggested.

"I'll look over the Firing Range's security tapes. Thanks for the help." Reed said, then closed the communicator. As they walked back to the Armory, Reed motioned for Tinner to hand him the rifle. He indicated for the Gunny to activate the target with his PADD. He took aim as he reached the 200 yard marker and shot the target five times. Reed looked questionably at the Gunny.

"All of the shots hit center mass." Gunny Thomas stated. He was relieved that the problem hadn't been with his weapons, that it was just that device on the target that had caused the sensor not to register Lt. Donovan's shots. "I take it I can call Lieutenant Donovan back to take her Requal again?" he asked Lt. Reed.

"Go ahead and call her in. We'll send in the report with the analysis of the device. I'm sure she'll be relieved to know she hadn't lost her touch." Lt. Malcolm Reed smiled softly.

"I'll contact her." Corporal Tinner offered and shook Reed's hand. "Thank you for coming yourself, Lieutenant. Do you think you'll be able to find out who put the device there?"

Reed nodded, "I'm sure we will. Tell Donovan to keep her guard up. If these people can hack into the system and set her up for a certain target lane, then plant a device on that target - there's no telling what else they're going to try and do." he pointed out. He turned to Gunny, "Okay, let's go take a look at those security tapes." he directed.

1800 - Antony's

Derek Williams glanced at her as they walked to the restaurant, "So, everything turned out okay?" he inquired.

Kaitlyn Donovan nodded, "I went back to the range, re-qualified - passed with flying colors. Lt. Reed is going to send me a report later on everything they learned from the device and the security footage."

Derek held the door open for Kaitlyn to enter.

Kaitlyn smiled as she walked in and spotted the group of her Mother's friends at their old usual table off to the side of the restaurant. She led Derek over to them, "I didn't know you would all be here tonight." she admitted. "This is Commander Derek Williams, I'm working with him at Starfleet Headquarters." She introduced her Mother's friends. She indicated the slender built older man, "Derek, this is Martus - he's a Sociology Professor at the University." She indicated the other man, "This is Tolian, he's an Anthropologists like my father."

The men shook hands as Kaitlyn hugged the dark skinned woman, then she turned to Derek, "And this is Guinan." Kaitlyn glanced at the woman, she was always so color coordinated. Tonight, she had on a loose fitting turquoise dress that reminded her of Vulcan robes, along with a matching scarf holding her hair back, and matching shoes. "What are you doing right now to keep yourself busy and away from us?" she asked curiously.

Guinan smiled softly as she shook Derek's hand, "I've opened up a bar in Ireland, near your Mother's estate. Thank you again for letting me stay there, Kaitlyn." she said as they all sat down at the table.

Kaitlyn grinned, "Well, it's not like it was being used." she shrugged and looked around. "Where's Antony?"

Martus indicated the kitchen, "He went to make a few last minute changes to the menu." He glanced at Kaitlyn and he leaned forward slightly, "Antony told us you were attacked twice in the past week."

Kaitlyn took a sip of her water, "Just work related events." She tried to deflect their concern. Her Mother's group of friends had always been very protective of her.

Antony came out and brought over the coffees, "Good to see you again, Derek." he nodded to Kaitlyn's friend as he passed the coffees out. He patted Kaitlyn's shoulder gently after he sat her coffee down, then sat across from her. Antony had heard her reply to Martus' statement, he looked at Derek, "Is this true, Derek - they were both work related?" He watched the man carefully.

Derek could feel himself being assessed. They were definitely protective of her, he could feel it in the air around the table. "Both incidents stemmed from the assignment she is currently on." he answered diplomatically.

Antony and Martus exchanged glances with each other.

Martus tapped the table gently, "You are going against these Terra Prime people?" he questioned her.

Kaitlyn set her cup down and looked at all of them carefully, "What do you know of these people?" she asked them. _How did they know?_ She hadn't told Antony anything.

Tolian frowned, "We know of them. We have heard some of their rhetoric, we've heard the same type of hatred speak before." he stated.

Derek raised an eyebrow, "You've gone to some of their rallies?" he questioned.

Martus nodded, "It is vital to know what the snakes in the grass are saying and doing, in order to protect yourself and others." he pointed out. "They have spoken at the University a few times, then they had that festival last night."

Kaitlyn wondered what in the world was going on. "What does it matter to you what they say?" she looked at Guinan.

Guinan looked at Kaitlyn as she reached for her hand and patted it gently, "If you stand by and let one single seed of hatred grow, soon it will become wide spread. We've been keeping tabs on them." she said softly. "They have been growing in numbers in the past few years."

Derek Williams shook his head slowly, "I don't understand how such people can get followers to believe what their spouting. I know people think the Vulcans have held us back, and they have - but that doesn't mean they're trying to control us, or want to take over the planet."

Antony nodded, "The Vulcans are only trying to help Humanity, they don't think they're ready to encounter the rest of the Universe." He looked up as the cook rang the bell. He quickly went to retrieve the assortment of food and handed the plates out, then sat back down.

Kaitlyn watched them curiously, "Just how long have you been keeping tabs on them?" She used her fork to cut the French toast. She saw them all exchanged surreptitious glances at each other.

Martus spoke up, "Their group has been in existence for about twenty years."

"Twenty years?" Kaitlyn balked. "Why hadn't I heard about them until recently?" she demanded.

Guinan sat her fork down, "Kaitlyn, they have been very low keyed and spread out until recently. Now, they have started to organize and gain more support from those people that are disenfranchised with the government." she explained.

Derek Williams wondered just how much they knew about the inner working of Terra Prime. "Is there anything you can tell us, to help us with recent occurrences?" he questioned them.

Tolian nodded, "Be very careful around them. They manipulate people, use them, then dispose of them." He looked at Kaitlyn worriedly, "You must be very cautious. Do you remember what they did to you?" he asked her.

"They drugged me, figured out a drug that slowed down my heart rate and caused memory loss." Kaitlyn stated.

"You still don't remember what they questioned you about?" Martus asked, growing more concerned.

The hair on the back of Kaitlyn's neck was standing on end - _something was very wrong_. This wasn't just a usual gathering for them. "What is going on?" she demanded to know.

Guinan sighed softly. _They had pushed too much._ "Kaitlyn, you know that you are unique. If someone has learned how to control or manipulate you, it could be devastating. You have acquired a vast amount of knowledge in your studies that they could use to commit atrocities." she stated. Kaitlyn was still very young. They had tried to convince her to stay out of Starfleet and the MACOs when she had started to lean in that direction. They had tried to steer her into the diplomatic route with her studies. But she was _too_ human, and that innate human drive to protect and defend others had led her to choose the MACOs. Guinan wished they could tell Kaitlyn everything, but they had promised her Mother that they would wait until she was older.

Kaitlyn sighed softly, "I won't let anyone use my knowledge to harm others - you know I won't."

Antony nodded, "We know you wouldn't, if you could help it - but if they can control you . . ." he glanced at Martus for help.

Martus smiled to try and alleviate Kaitlyn's concern, "We know you will do whatever you can, just be very careful around that group." he advised her.

She smiled, "I will." she promised them. She glanced at Derek, he looked a little unsettled. "We will do everything we can to keep Terra Prime from harming anyone else, right Derek?"

Derek Williams nodded, "Yes." he looked at the others. "If there's anything else you can tell us about this group, we'd greatly appreciate it."

Martus handed Kaitlyn a PADD, "That has everything we've learned about them over the years." he explained.

Kaitlyn fingered the edges of the PADD, eager to scour through the information on it - but she would wait patiently. She would wait until their dinner was concluded. She would focus on the group gathered around the table. "Thank you." she said softly. She set the PADD down on the table and focused her attention on her Mother's friends. "So, did you hear Dad's out in New Zealand?" she inquired.

Tolian glanced at the others, "I was with him last week. He was doing well."

Martus nodded, "The University is very interested in what he concludes about the area he's in."

Guinan smiled, "Your father has always been a very curious man, that's what drew your Mother to him."

Kaitlyn smiled softly, "Really? I thought it was always his sense of humor - he could always make her laugh." She thought back to how happy her parents had been all those years ago. Her father didn't laugh much anymore. Kaitlyn pushed back the feeling of regret over all of the things she didn't get to do with her Mother. She turned her attention back to eating her meal.

Martus smiled when he saw Kaitlyn start to relax a few minutes later. They had pushed too far. They four of them had spoken before she had arrived to try and decide on their approach with her tonight. She was as stubborn as her Mother had been, and she had a tendency to dig her heels in when she felt she had to defend her reasoning. "Kaitlyn, have you given anymore thought to presenting to the Sociology students?"

Derek looked at her curiously, "What about?"

Kaitlyn rolled her eyes, "They think I understand the Vulcans well enough to speak about their traditions and trainings." She didn't think she was qualified, so she'd politely declined.

"You've been around them and worked with them more than any other human." Antony pointed out.

Kaitlyn sipped her coffee, "Just because I've know Commander T'Mira since I was young, doesn't mean I know enough about the Vulcans to make generalizations. They are individuals, just like us."

Guinan raised an eyebrow, "But _you_ know their language, their culture, and the _Teachings of Surak_. You are far more knowledgeable than any other human. You _know_ the Vulcans will not come and speak candidly to the students and answer their questions thoroughly."

"Ambassador Soval came and spoke to my class at Stanford." Kaitlyn countered the argument.

"But all of you were Inter Planetary Relations majors - I'm sure your questions were more focused for the Ambassador. These students want to know what make Vulcans unique, and similar to humans." Antony indicated. He decided to try a different angle, "If you want to help the public not fear, or be against the Vulcans - people need to know more about them."

Derek Williams sat quietly and watched the four of them try to get Kaitlyn to agree to speak to the college students. They had a very good argument. He knew that if Kaitlyn was really against the idea, she would have argued a bit more than she did. In fact, now that he saw that look on her face - he wondered if she'd figured out that this was their real goal tonight, and she was just humoring them by protesting a little. He chuckled softly and he suddenly felt all of their attention on him. "Sorry, I was just thinking of Ambassador Soval trying to answer the types of questions they could ask. I think he would be very uncomfortable." he said quickly, not wanting to tell them what he'd really been thinking about.

Kaitlyn sensed that he was back peddling and smiled softly. "Maybe I can come speak to them next week, in the evening. I have to finish the assignment I'm working on right now, and I should really discuss with Ambassador Soval what topics are off limits - I do not want to embarrass them." she pointed out.

Martus grinned, "Very well. As soon as your assignment is over, we'll get together and discuss the details."

The older adults were appeased with her concession and the conversation turned to the recent travels they had all been on.

Tolian leaned back in his chair, "I visited the Mobius Outpost about a month ago - very interesting." he stated.

Kaitlyn leaned forward, "Did you see a lot of different species?" she inquired, her curiosity peaked.

Tolian nodded, "Many - I even came across an Andorian trader." he said in hushed tones.

Kaitlyn had heard of the Andorians from some things she'd read in some Vulcan reports, "Are they really as aggressive as the Vulcans have said?" she questioned him.

"No, but they are very emotional - that's probably what throws the Vulcans off. They've been at odds with the Vulcans for quite some time, a dispute over a planet." Tolian explained.

Derek Williams was curious, "Just how many species have you met?"

"Many more than what is commonly known, but I have travelled extensively." Tolian stated.

"Would you be willing to write up a short brief of each species for Starfleet?" Derek asked.

Tolian sipped his tea as he glanced at the others, "Possibly, I'll contemplate it." He watched Kaitlyn, "You know, if you joined me on my travels, you could make contact with all of those species."

Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow - _they were on this again?_ They had tried to convince her before not to join Starfleet, or the MACOs, but instead to work at the University, or travel with them. She thought they'd dropped the subject, _evidently not. _"I have an obligation to the MACOs, and I will meet plenty of species through them." she stated firmly. She wasn't in the mood to argue with them about the subject any further.

Antony shook his head at Tolian, "Quit bothering the girl, she's found something she's good at and enjoys." he indicated for Tolian to drop it.

Tolian shrugged, "I had to try." He smiled softly at Kaitlyn, "I didn't mean to upset you - I know you're good at what you do, the MACOs are fortunate to have you working for them." he apologized.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I like what I do." She smiled at each of them, "It's a bit overwhelming being here with all of you, the last time was before I graduated from college." she pointed out. "I'm not used to having four people concerned about me, though I appreciate it." she acknowledged.

Guinan smiled softly, "We promised your Mother that we'd look after you - we plan to honor that promise." She wondered if they were doing more harm than good by keeping information from her. In twenty years, it would become indisputable even to Kaitlyn that she was different. They had agreed earlier that they would wait until then to tell her the truth. _But what if it became known before then? _In Kaitlyn's current line of work, there would be many times when her true identity could be discovered - and Terra Prime would certainly target her. The four of them would have to agree upon a plan to deal with the situation.

Kaitlyn glanced at the PADD on that table and picked it up, "Well, thank you for the information and the wonderful dinner - it was great to see all of you again."

They all stood up and said their goodbyes.

Guinan hugged Kaitlyn, "Be careful, Kaitlyn."

She smiled at the older woman, "I always am." she reassured her.

Derek held the door open for her and walked with her down the sidewalk. _That had been a very interesting dinner. _He was sure they were holding something back, but he was glad they had gotten more information about Terra Prime. "Do you want me to help you go through all of that?" he offered.

She looked up at him and smiled, "Let me read it tonight, then we'll go over it in the morning. I still have Lieutenant Reed's report to go over when I get home." she said as a cab pulled up.

"Okay, first thing when we get to the office." he agreed and opened the cab door for her.

She patted his arm, "Thanks for coming with me, I didn't know they would all be here tonight."

"They seem like wonderful people, and they care about you. Your Mom was lucky to have such friends." he smiled softly.

Kaitlyn nodded, then got in the cab. "See you in the morning."

Derek Williams watched as the cab drove away. He glanced back to the restaurant and saw the four of them still sitting at the table. _What were they not telling Kaitlyn_, he wondered. He put his hands in his pockets and started to walk home.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2 - Thank you again for the review - you have been very encouraging throughout the writing of this story.

This story has one more chapter to go. The sequel will be titled "All's Fair in Love and War".

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers following this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 21

2340 - Donovan's apartment

Kaitlyn Donovan put the PADD on the coffee table and sat back. Lt. Reed's report stated that some of the basic components in the dampening device on the target were from the same components in the bombs on Enterprise, therefore they concluded that they were made by the same people. He had determined from watching the security footage that the device had been transported in at 1045, shortly after a group of former MACOs had come in and had their regular monthly target practice. Reed's co-worker, Lawson, was trying to pinpoint the location the device was transported from - but he hadn't had any luck yet breaking the encryption algorithms. Reed had discovered that the computer in the Armory had been hacked into just shortly before the device had been transported into place. The Weapon's Complex was having the Armory computers' firewalls strengthened to prevent such a thing from happening again. She quickly sent Lt. Reed a personal message of thanks for investigating this matter himself.

After she had reviewed Reed's report, she had turned her attention to the PADD Martus had given her on Terra Prime. It turns out that Terra Prime had its beginnings as a sort of secret society that searched for aliens on Earth, or people that consorted with aliens, and terrorized them. Evidently they followed some of the same philosophy as Colonel Green after World War Three, and they wanted a United Earth that was free from the influence and corruption of aliens. Martus had documented at least thirty-seven abductions by Terra Prime, and at least three murders.

Kaitlyn wondered why Martus hadn't shared this information with Starfleet previously. The PADD had any extensive listing of people that had been, or were current followers of Terra Prime. Of course, after looking at the list - she could understand why he hadn't. There were names on the 'had been' list of quite a few high ranking officials. She decided that she'd give the information to Harris. He would keep the information contained and run checks on everyone listed. He knew how to inquire discretely.

She picked up her PADD and quickly sent Harris a message to meet her at the Early Riser at 0630. She walked over to the window and looked out over the street lights that glowed around the city. She wondered if it would be recorded in history that the testing of the Enterprise's Engines had almost been thwarted by bombs and that Terra Prime had manipulated and used people to try and destroy Starfleet. _Probably not. It would probably be a footnote in the history books that Terra Prime had caused a stir before the launching of the Enterprise._ That is, if they managed to thwart Terra Prime's plans to assassinate Admiral Forrest and they could keep the Enterprise on schedule to launch.

Kaitlyn turned and went to her bedroom and laid down. She turned off the lamp next to her bed and stared at the ceiling and watched the shadows dance across it. She knew there was a lot to do in the next two days, but she had to get to sleep. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes.

0630 - Early Riser

Kaitlyn sipped her coffee and nodded as Harris sat down beside her.

He thanked the waitress as she sat his coffee down in front of him, then left when he waved her off. Harris sat back in the chair, "This had better be good, Kaitlyn - you know I don't like meeting you in broad daylight."

"It's worth it." Kaitlyn smiled and handed a PADD over to him. She had moved all of the information from Martus' PADD to another one, so that it couldn't be traced back to him. "It contains almost everything you could learn about Terra Prime without being in their organization. I trust you will keep it in a safe place?" she questioned.

Harris quickly looked over some of the information and raised his eyebrows in surprise. He looked at Kaitlyn, "Where did you get this from?"

"A friend - evidently, you're not the only one with connections." she shrugged.

"How do I know this isn't all fabricated?" he asked.

"I'm sure you will make inquiries. I have no reason to believe he would deceive me. He advised me to be cautious around Terra Prime." Kaitlyn pointed out.

"How did he know you are involved with them?" Harris frowned. _They'd already had enough security breaches to last a lifetime. _

"There are pictures from the festival the other night, I'm in one of them." she stated. She watched as he continued to look over the information.

"This indicates that Paxton is heavily involved in Terra Prime." Harris stated.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I believe my father's expedition team is in danger. General Casey is sending a squad of MACOs to check on them."

Harris turned the PADD off and put it in his vest as he carefully assessed their surroundings again. His gaze fell upon her, "You know you shouldn't have contacted Lieutenant Reed directly - you should have gone through the Weapon's Complex."

Kaitlyn shrugged, "I knew he was up to speed on everything that has been happening. You wanted me to get someone else involved in this investigation? Someone that could be working with Terra Prime?" she shook her head. "No, thanks. This assignment is already complicated enough as it is."

Harris watched her for a few more moments, "Keppler wants to talk to you." he stated.

She raised an eyebrow, "Why?" She took another sip of coffee and watched as a shuttle landed on the other side of the street. It had no markings, no identifiable symbols. "Are you expecting a ride?" she asked as she put her hand on her phase pistol.

Harris looked quickly at the shuttle, "No. Come with me, Kaitlyn." he directed as they swiftly made their way into the restaurant and out the side door. They quickly walked down the block and into the park. "Pick up immediately at the south gate of the park." he directed into his communicator as he kept glancing behind them. "How did you send the meeting location to me?" he questioned as they slowed their pace.

"Over my secured PADD." she frowned.

He held his hand out for it and she handed it over. "I'll have our people analyze it."

Kaitlyn thought back to the recent problems with communications. "You know, they could be intercepting messages and encryption files from a receiver close by the sender. We found a device like that in the MACO Communication Center, Torres had put it there to capture the emergency shutdown code. If the PADD checks out okay, have them go through my apartment." she suggested.

Harris nodded as his shuttle landed and the hatch opened. "Come on, I'll give you a ride." he offered as he climbed in.

She closed the hatch after she got in, then sat down beside him.

"When do you have time to speak to Keppler today?" Harris questioned as he handed her another PADD from the storage bin.

"Now - the Admiral's day is wall to wall meetings." she looked at her watch.

Harris quickly spoke to the pilot, and the shuttle changed directions. "Keppler said he has information - and that he'll only give it to you."

"Since when do we bend to terrorist's request? You tell him to give you the information or he'll rot in a cell wishing that he had." she stated firmly.

Harris frowned, "Prisoners are afforded certain basic requirements." he reminded her.

"Really? Because I don't remember them offering me any such thing!" she pointed out. "They just strung me up and beat me as they asked questions, then they drugged me." She clenched her fists as she tried to remain calm. _It wasn't working._ She rubbed her temples tiredly. She took a few deep breaths and let them out slowly.

Harris watched her carefully, "Do you want me in the room with you?" he offered.

She glanced at him and gave him a small smile, "Are you worried that I'll harm him?"

"No, I think you'll do just fine." He nodded as the shuttle landed. _Besides, _he thought to himself,_ the way she was tempering herself right now might just shake Keppler up enough to sing like a bird._

They walked quickly into the secured building and Harris brought her to one of the interrogation rooms.

"He's already inside." Harris checked.

Kaitlyn handed him her phase pistol and two knives, "Whatever happens - don't come in, even if he tries to attack me. Got it?" She picked up a spare PADD from the shelf.

Harris nodded slowly.

Kaitlyn went in the room and shut the door behind her. She walked to the opposite side of the table and sat down and put the PADD on the table. "What information do you have that you can only tell me?" she questioned.

Keppler smiled slowly, "I didn't say that I _couldn't_ tell anyone else - I said I _wouldn't_ tell anyone else." he corrected her. _He hadn't been sure if she would really come._ Someone must have pushed her into coming.

She shrugged, "Semantics." She turned on the PADD and activated a card game and started to play solitaire.

"What are you doing?" he questioned. _What sort of tactic was this? _Nothing that he'd ever done in his career during interrogations.

Kaitlyn glanced up at him as she continued to play the card game. "I already asked you what information you wanted to tell me." she pointed out. "If you're just going to sit there, I plan on doing this." She focused her attention back on the game.

"What kind of ruse is this? I could sit here all day." he stated.

She nodded, "You could, but I have somewhere else to be in an hour. So, you see - I told them I'd come in here and listen to whatever you have to say. If you don't start talking at least twenty minutes before I have to leave, then I get to run this interrogation my way. It's your choice." she shrugged. She raised an eyebrow.

He smirked and leaned back. "You're bluffing. There are rules on the treatment of prisoners." he pointed out as he crossed his arms.

"I guarantee you the same niceties that you showed me." she leaned back and mirrored his posture. She glanced at her watch. "You have twenty more minutes to sit there." She informed him, then went back to playing her game.

Keppler decided to play along. He sat and waited.

Kaitlyn turned the chair slightly and put her legs up on the table. She continued to play the card game as she gently rocked back and forth on the back two legs of the chair - giving off the illusion that she hadn't a care in the world. She knew her attitude was eating away at him because he was starting to shift in his chair. "Ten minutes." she reminded him when the time came.

Keppler decided that enough was enough - he would bring her down a few notches. He slowly eased his hands on the table. Just when she leaned back, he would push the table and cause her to fall back.

Kaitlyn watched his movements surreptitiously.

He pushed the table.

Kaitlyn shoved it back with both of her legs and flipped the table and caused him and his chair to slam against the wall. She glanced over at him, "You really shouldn't mess with these tables." she stated.

He stood up slowly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Now," she stated firmly, "pick up the table and your chair and sit your ass down and start talking."

He stood where he was and glanced at the door. He was sure someone would have come in by now to check and see that she was okay. _It dawned on him that no one was coming to check on either of them._

Kaitlyn stood up slowly, "Don't make me repeat myself." she warned him.

Keppler swallowed hard. He set the table up and picked up his chair, then sat down.

Kaitlyn nodded and turned off the card game as she sat down, "Now, Robert - what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

He quickly started to rattle off information that he knew about the plot.

Kaitlyn frowned, "We already know about all of this, anything else?" she asked.

He desperately tried to think of something else. "Your father - he's in danger. They are going to use him to get to you."

She nodded, "I realized that the other day. Why don't you tell me who Rhodes got the explosives from?" she suggested.

Keppler shifted, "I don't know."

Kaitlyn leaned forward, "Yes, you do - I can see it in your eyes." She glanced at her watch and smiled slyly, "Three minutes." she warned him.

He started to sweat, "I remember thinking it was ironic, I mean him getting the explosives from an alien." _It was a weird name, what was it?_ He looked down at his hands and started to shake his head. The guy's name just wouldn't come to him.

She slammed her fist on the table, "What's his name?" she demanded.

Keppler startled, "Tal. Mardock Tal." he quickly said as the name flashed in his mind.

Kaitlyn nodded, "Do you happen to know who the assassin is?" she questioned.

Keppler shook his head, "No. My job was to stop the launching of the Enterprise. I only went after the Admiral when we saw an opportunity." he explained.

She handed him the PADD, "I want you to detail out what you know and who else is involved. No detail is too small - understood?"

He nodded slowly as he accepted the PADD, "So, what do I get for my cooperation?" he inquired.

Kaitlyn stood up, "If we actually manage to stop this plot - we'll talk later." she shrugged and headed to the door.

Keppler watched her, "You weren't really going to harm me - you're too by the book for that."

Kaitlyn tilted her head slightly and came back over to his chair. "Interrogations can come in many forms, Robert." she touched his arm and quickly sifted through his mind for his worst fears. She smiled and removed her hand. "You have a fear of being gnawed to death by rats - that's very disturbing."

His eyes widened.

She leaned closer and spoke next to his ear, "How about you don't question what I'm willing to do, and I won't show you just how far I'll go." She tapped the PADD, "Everything you know - put it on that PADD." She left the room and closed the door firmly.

Harris stepped out of the next room and walked over to her slowly, "That was a very unique tactic." He handed her back all of her weapons.

Kaitlyn shrugged as she put her weapons back in place, "Contact me if he comes up with any useful information. Do you have the shuttle ready for me?"

He nodded and watched as she walked out of the building.

Kaitlyn rolled her shoulders as she stepped out of the shuttle at Starfleet HQ. It had taken a lot of will power for her to not harm Keppler, but she had managed and she'd put enough fear into him that he shouldn't resist any further questionings.

She sent Lieutenant Reed the name of the Weapons Supplier, then she headed upstairs to the Admiral's office. She quickly reviewed the Admiral's meetings for the day before she got to the office.

1930 - 602 Club

Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan placed herself a respectful five feet away from the Admiral's table as he, Captain Archer, Commander Tucker, and Commander Williams took a little time to unwind with a beer. She was at an optimum spot to watch his table, the rest of the patrons, and the door as customers came and went. She raised her eyebrow as a tall, dark-haired man stopped beside her. She recognized him from his Starfleet record's photo.

He had his beer stein in hand and was watching Archer thoughtfully, "You know, I was supposed to be the Captain of the first Warp Five ship in the fleet." he mentioned.

"Is that so, Commander?" she remarked, trying to keep her attention on the other customers.

He grinned, "You can call me A.G."

"Well, Commander Robinson - at least you get to pilot it tomorrow during the testing of the Warp Engines." she pointed out.

He tilted his head curiously, "How did you know who I am?"

Donovan glanced at him, then the door as a few more people entered. "I'm familiar with everyone who has any part in tomorrow's testing." She frowned slightly when he didn't give any indications of going back to the table. "I'm working right now, Commander - perhaps you'd like to go back to the table?" she suggested to him.

He grinned and took a long sip of his beer, "What if I want to stay right here?" he questioned.

"You can stand there as long as you don't get in my way, Commander." she explained.

"I haven't met too many female MACOs, in fact - you're the first one. Do you go through the same training as the guys?" he asked as he took another sip.

"Yes."

"Do you train all together, or separately?" he inquired.

"Together." she silently sighed in relief as Commander Williams came over and struck up a conversation with Robinson.

Williams looked at the man, "I think the Admiral said he needed to tell you something about tomorrow."

Robinson nodded and headed back to the table.

"Sorry about that." Derek Williams apologized.

Donovan shrugged, "He's just curious - though this isn't exactly the best time." She surveyed the surrounding again as she spoke to him softly, "Did you get a chance to speak to Lieutenant O'Dell today?"

Williams nodded, "He was very apologetic for his actions." He frowned, "He's going to need a lot of counseling."

Donovan glanced at the door as Captain Gardner came in.

Gardner nodded to her, then sat on a stool at the bar and spoke to the waitress named Ruby.

Kaitlyn thought about Jerry O'Dell's condition, "He will need counseling, but I think he'll eventually be okay."

"You really think so?" Williams asked.

She nodded and noted the men's conversation at the table grew quieter and they huddled a bit closer together. "You'd better get over there and find out what they're discussing." she indicated the table.

Commander Williams nodded and took his seat.

She watched as Admiral Forrest pulled out his PADD and showed them something on it. She couldn't tell what he was showing them. She turned her attention back on the other patrons. She found it intriguing that she and Ruby were the only females in the place. She wondered if that was because this establishment catered to pilots, engineers, and command personnel - and there just weren't that many females in those positions, or if it was because of something else.

Donovan gave a nod to Corporal Buchannan as he entered and came over to relieve her for the evening.

"Good evening, Ma'am." he stood beside her and surveyed the surroundings. "Corporal Tinner has the position outside." he explained.

"Very well. Everything has gone on schedule today. I don't know how long the Admiral will stay here tonight." she stated.

"That's fine, Ma'am. The team is already at his house for the evening. I'll see the Admiral to his office in the morning." Buchannan said.

Lt. Donovan smiled softly, "I will be there by 0730." she promised. "Contact me, if needed."

"Yes, Ma'am." he acknowledged.

Kaitlyn Donovan headed over to the bar to see Gardner before she headed home. "Are you doing okay this evening, Captain?" she inquired as she stopped beside him.

Sam Gardner smiled brightly indicated the stool next to him, "I'm doing fine. Take a seat - I see you're off duty now." he glanced back at Buchannan.

She nodded as she sat down on the stool, "It's been a long day." she admitted to him.

"Let me get you a drink." he offered as he motioned for Ruby to come down to them.

Kaitlyn looked at Ruby, "A White Russian, please."

Ruby smiled at the request, "It's been a while since I made one, but I pretty sure I remember." she usually didn't get too many mixed drink requests. She quickly went to work mixing the drink.

Sam turned in his stool towards her, "I hear that everything is ready for the testing tomorrow."

She thanked Ruby as the woman sat her drink in front of her, then turned her attention back to Sam Gardner. "It is." She could tell he was agitated.

Sam Gardner glanced at the Admiral's table and frowned slightly. He focused his attention back on his glass. "Keppler was arrested?" he asked softly.

Kaitlyn nodded, "He was." She took a sip of her drink and noticed that the men at the Admiral's table kept glancing at her and Gardner. She raised her eyebrow at them, and they turned their attention away. She looked back at Gardner - he was looking at her intently.

"What are you after?" he questioned.

Kaitlyn watched him as she sat her drink down, "You'll have to be more specific."

Gardner frowned, "You're cleaning house - what are you after?" he demanded in hushed tones.

"I'm simply after the people who tried to sabotage the Enterprise, and those that wish to do harm to the Admiral." she stated carefully, then stood up. She placed money on the counter for the drink and tip. "Good evening, Captain."

He stood up quickly and blocked her departure, "Are you coming after me next?" he inquired.

Kaitlyn glanced swiftly at Buchannan as he looked ready to pounce on Gardner. She shook her head slightly and indicated that she didn't need assistance. She looked back at Gardner slowly, "Have you done anything wrong?"

He stepped back - shocked that she would even ask such a question. "No, of course not."

Kaitlyn shrugged, "Then you have nothing to worry about. Paranoia does not become you." she said softly. "Good night, Captain." She stepped around him and left the club.

She went to her apartment and found a note on her table that said they had swept her place and found two devices and had removed them. She went to her bedroom and quickly took off her weapons and uniform and stepped in the shower to wash up.

Kaitlyn came out of the bathroom with her hair wrapped in the towel and went to her kitchen and got a glass of water. She picked up her PADDs and reviewed tomorrow's schedule once again.

She lowered the PADD, she had a gnawing feeling that Sam Gardner was worried about something - or else he wouldn't be acting so paranoid. She read over his movements and contacts the past few days and didn't note anything unusual. She'd have to check with his surveillance team in the morning.

She quickly typed up her report to Harris and sent it in. She finished her water and headed to bed. Thank goodness they didn't have pt in the morning - tomorrow was going to be long and stressful enough. She usually looked forward to working out in the morning, but for some reason she felt really drained - and the extra hour of sleep was looking quite good to her at the moment. She hung the towel up in the bathroom and pulled the covers down and climbed in. She turned off the lamp and quickly fell asleep.

"Team Three to Lieutenant Donovan." a voice called.

Kaitlyn's eyes flew open and she sat up quickly. She touched the communication implant as she reached for her phase pistol. "Donovan here, go ahead."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you this late - but Captain Gardner is heading for your door. He's been out here pacing for almost an hour." Paulason explained to her.

She threw her covers off and got out of bed. She certainly wasn't going to the door in just her tank top and shorts. She grabbed a sweatshirt and put it on and put her phase pistol in the front pocket. "I'll talk to him outside." she acknowledged and slipped on a pair of walking shoes, then picked up her key and opened the door.

Sam Gardner's eyes widened in surprise, he hadn't even had the chance to knock.

"What do you want, Sam?" she asked as she shut her door.

He followed her as she walked back down the stairs and sat down at one of the tables in the courtyard. _How did she know he was there?_ He looked around quickly, "You're having me followed?" he demanded an answer.

She glanced up at Sam and indicated for him to take a seat.

He didn't move - he wanted an answer. _Where did she get off having him followed? _

"If you don't sit down and lower your voice, I'm going back upstairs. I've only had an hour of sleep and I'm not really in the mood to make nice." she pointed out.

He sat down and leaned forward, "I'm a Captain in Starfleet - why are you having me followed?" he repeated.

"I've been assigned to protect Admiral Forrest because there is a plot to assassinate him. There has also been several attempts to destroy the Enterprise."

Sam Gardner sat down in the chair as he watched her, "That's why you've been assigned to the Admiral?" he asked softly. "And you're in charge of all of the MACOs involved?" She was obviously in a higher echelon of authority in the MACOs. "If you were in Starfleet, you'd have to be at least a Commander to be in charge of an operation like this." he commented.

"The MACOs are a bit different, there are fewer Officers and its harder to move up in rank - but responsibilities start earlier." Kaitlyn pointed out. "I'm having you followed because you have an obvious grudge against Captain Archer and Admiral Forrest." she stated.

He sat back and shook his head, "No, I don't."

Kaitlyn frowned slightly, "You might not want to admit it - but the looks you give them give your true feelings away. You feel slighted that you aren't the Captain of Enterprise. That's understandable, you worked hard to get into the final selection."

Sam Gardner rubbed his face tiredly, "I didn't realize how much I blamed them for not getting selected." he admitted quietly. "But, you think I've done something wrong? That's why you are having me followed?" He didn't want her to think of him as capable of doing anything against Starfleet, that wasn't him - he only had the best interests for Starfleet in mind.

"Not that you would do something wrong on purpose, but someone could use how you feel to get you to do something for them. Has anyone asked you to talk about the Enterprise, or the Admiral, or even the Space Program in general?" she questioned him.

"No. The only people I talk to are Starfleet." he shrugged.

"What about Paxton? Has he asked you about anyone, or anything about Starfleet's programs?" she inquired.

Gardner shook his head, "In fact, he knew about you when I mentioned your name at the lecture." he pointed out. "What does Paxton have to do with this?"

Kaitlyn shrugged slightly, not wanting to say anything about Paxton's involvement in the situation.

Sam Gardner reached for her hand and held it gently, "You don't trust me?"

She smiled softly, "You followed Commander Williams and I last weekend." she reminded him. "He stayed at my place because we knew we were being followed."

"I'm sorry, Kaitlyn." he patted her hand, then let it go. "There's no excuse for my behavior - I can see why you don't trust me." He sighed and sat back in the chair. He glanced around the area, "So, how many MACOs are watching us right now?" he smiled softly.

"Enough." she shrugged. "Sam, I trust you. Please promise me that you'll tell me if anyone asks you for information that they shouldn't." she requested.

He nodded, "I will." he stood up slowly. "Are you going running in the morning?"

"No, tomorrow is going to be a very long day." she shook her head. "Good night, Sam." she smiled softly.

He touched her arm gently, "Good night, Kaitlyn. I'll see you tomorrow night." He walked down the path and left her apartment complex.

Kaitlyn walked back to her apartment and shook her head slightly. At least she'd learned that Paxton had already known about her before they'd met - it was a bit unnerving to think he had started some of this plan three months ago when Starfleet had started inquiring about the mining equipment for her father. She closed the door to her apartment and locked it and headed back to bed. Hopefully she could get six hours of uninterrupted sleep in before she had to get up again.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek, though MACO Lt. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

Hummingbird2 - Thank you for all of your encouraging reviews!

The sequel to this story will be titled "All's Fair in Love and War", in which Section 31 goes after the Weapon Supplier of Terra Prime.

Reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to all of the readers that have followed this story.

The End Justifies the Means

Chapter 22

0900 - Enterprise Bridge

Captain Jonathan Archer stepped out of his Ready Room and moved to the Situation Room behind the bridge. He looked over the expectant faces of those present for today's testing of the Warp Engine.

Commander Tucker was itching to get started and prove his engine was ready to start exploring space.

Commander A.G. Robinson was ready to be listed as the first pilot for Starfleet's first Warp Five ship. He grinned as he glanced at Archer, who he noted looked a bit anxious. "You shouldn't worry about this test - either we blow up and won't feel a thing, or everything will go fine and we'll be celebrated as heroes tonight at the banquet."

Jonathan Archer tried to smile, "You have such an interesting outlook on life, A.G." He looked at Lieutenant Reed, whom he'd requested to come with them, just in case they did need another explosive device deactivated. "Hopefully we won't need your services today, Lieutenant."

Lieutenant Reed nodded, "I would hope not, Captain. But I am here, if my services are needed." he reassured the man.

Commander Tucker chuckled, "Disarming a bomb at a stand-still is one thing - it's probably damn-near impossible at Warp. No offense, but I hope all ya haveta do is sit over in that chair at Tactical today, Lieutenant."

Reed nodded to the Chief Engineer. _He really didn't want to find out how difficult it would be either_. He looked at the Captain. The man was exceedingly lucky that the 3 explosive devices that had been found on the ship had been disabled before they could cause any damage. In all reality, if MACO Lieutenant Donovan hadn't been brought on board to protect Admiral Forrest, and the new Security Protocols put in place, those explosive devices would have remained undetected and today's testing of the engine would have resulted in the destruction of the Enterprise.

As if reading the Security Officer's thoughts, Archer cleared his throat. "Have you learned anything about the weapon supplier?" he questioned, expecting a negative response.

Reed nodded, "We have a name."

Archer raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Really? Who talked?"

Lieutenant Reed smirked slightly, "Keppler did. Lieutenant Donovan is very skilled at eliciting information in interrogations." Harris had sent him the video of yesterday's meeting. He was impressed that she could remain so calm in the same room with the man that had her kidnapped and interrogated just a few days earlier. _He didn't think he would have been able to in the same situation_. Reed couldn't help but wonder what Donovan had whispered to Keppler before she left. Obviously something intense, because the man had a complete look of panic on his face as he typed in more information on the PADD she'd given him.

A. G. Robinson crossed his arms and grinned, "I wouldn't mind her interrogating me." She seemed to be a fiery one - a woman of bottled up sexual tension, ready to be released. She'd been very good at ignoring his advances last night.

Reed narrowed his eyes at the pilot, "I wouldn't suggest it, Sir."

Archer frowned at A.G., "Drop it. She's the reason this ship is still in one piece." He saw the look on Lieutenant Reed's face, then glanced back at the pilot, "Besides, she could probably kill you twenty different ways - you don't want to provoke her."

Tucker nodded in agreement. "Well, Captain - when do we get this show on the road?" he questioned as he rubbed his hands together anxiously.

Archer smiled gratefully at his friend for changing the subject, "As soon as you get down to Engineering."

Commander Trip Tucker grinned, "Aye, Captain." He quickly took off to the turbolift.

Everyone else moved to their positions on the bridge.

Commander A.G. Robinson went over all of the readings on the helm console and waited for a signal from Engineering. He glanced back at the man standing behind him, "Thanks for the opportunity to pilot today." he grinned.

Jonathan Archer nodded and gave him a small smile, "Thank me when we get back in one piece." he patted his friend's shoulder.

Malcolm Reed watched the two men. He had heard that they had both been in the running to be Captain of the Enterprise and he thought they'd have an animosity towards each other, but apparently not. He watched the console at Tactical and frowned, though the weapon systems were technically 'in place' - they weren't fully functional. "Captain, how long have they estimated for all of the weapon systems to be functioning?" he inquired.

Archer walked over to the Security Officer, "Five months. Don't worry, Lieutenant - we won't need the weapons today." he promised, then walked over and took his seat in the Command Chair.

The comm buzzed, "Engineering to the Captain." Tucker's Southern drawl came in loud and clear.

Archer pressed the button on the arm of his chair, "Go ahead Engineering."

"We're all ready down here - just give the word, Captain." Tucker stated.

"Very well, Commander." Archer nodded and clicked off the comm. "Commander Robinson, clear us for departure." he directed.

Robinson nodded, "Aye, Captain." He clicked on the comm, "Enterprise to Dock Yard 1, requesting permission to disengage."

A few moments later the comm crackled again, "Dock Yard 1 to Enterprise, permission granted."

Archer smiled softly, "Commander Robinson, take us out." he ordered. He sighed softly as the Enterprise's engines hummed to life and the ship slowly moved forward. _Here's to you, Dad._

Starfleet Headquarters - Command Center

Admiral Forrest crossed his arms and watched with the others in the room as the Enterprise received permission to leave the Dock Yards.

Commander Williams stood beside the Admiral and glanced down at his PADD that actively monitored the systems on the Enterprise. "Everything is looking good, Sir." he stated.

Forrest nodded that he'd heard. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he watched the Enterprise leave the Dock Yards, then it increased speed to Impulse. He continued to walk around the Command Center and monitor the systems as the Enterprise increased their speed over the next thirty minutes, until finally, they were at Warp Three. He smiled softly at the readings and clicked on the comm, "Command Center to Enterprise."

"Enterprise here, go ahead Command." Archer's voice came in loud and clear.

"Good job, Captain. Keep going another thirty minutes, then head back. No problems on your end?" Forrest questioned.

"Everything is running smooth, Admiral. I'll contact you when we're headed back." Archer stated.

"Very well, Command out." Forrest clicked off the comm and finally rolled his shoulders as some of his tension dissipated. _Nothing had gone wrong_, but he knew that this was just the beginning of tension-filled days. Because if everything went right today, the Enterprise would launch in eight months -_ six, if they pushed hard. _He glanced at the trio of Vulcans at the back of the room as they watched the situation with indifference. _If they helped, it could be sooner _- but he seriously doubted they would start now. He sighed softly and returned his attention to one of the monitors.

Lieutenant Donovan watched as some of the tension left the Admiral as he rolled his shoulders. He'd been visibly uptight all day, and this was the first sign that perhaps he wouldn't need to see Dr. Phlox before the banquet tonight. She glanced as the doors opened and Ambassador Soval walked in and took in the situation before him. She expected him to move further into the room, but he did not.

"I see the Enterprise is traveling at Warp Three." Ambassador Soval stated.

Donovan nodded, he was obviously speaking to her because no one else was near. "Yes, Ambassador."

"They have had no problems during the flight?" he inquired.

"None reported, Ambassador." she explained. She wondered why on earth he was talking to her, there were countless others in this room that were more knowledgeable about the situation. His next statement answered her question.

"Lieutenant, one of our scientists is missing. He has not reported to the Vulcan Compound after his duty shift ended earlier this morning." the Ambassador stated.

She turned to the Vulcan Ambassador, "And there is no logical reason your scientist could have been delayed?" she inquired softly.

He looked at her unblinking, "No." He turned his attention back to the activity in the room before him. "We have made inquiries to the local authorities, but their explanation was illogical." he stated.

Lieutenant Donovan nodded and pulled out her PADD, "Where was your scientist coming from?" she inquired as she quickly typed a message to Harris.

"Commander Solar worked at the Warp Five Complex." Ambassador Soval explained.

Donovan nodded as she requested that all of the video feeds be pulled and analyzed from the Warp Five Complex to the Vulcan Compound. "What time did his shift end, Ambassador?"

"0500 this morning." He glanced at her as she quickly typed in the information into her PADD. "May I inquire as to whom you are requesting help from?"

She finished her message, then put the PADD back into her vest pocket. She glanced at theVulcan, "Does it really matter, Ambassador?" she questioned him.

Soval's eyebrow raised slowly, slightly taken aback by her inquiry. He turned his attention away from her as he contemplated her question. "No, Lieutenant - it does not matter." He nodded, then walked over to the other Vulcans that were carefully watching not only the readings on the monitors, but also the humans in the room.

As Donovan watched the momentous occasion in human history, she continued to get updates on the missing Vulcan.

Harris had his people scour the video feeds and pinpointed the time and place where he had been snatched and hauled off in an unmarked vehicle, just three blocks from the Vulcan Compound. He had sent her the video feed and had his people checking leads as they came up.

Donovan raised an eyebrow as Commander Morrison stepped in the Command Center.

Morrison turned his back to the others in the room as he spoke to her. "We have a slight issue." he stated. "The air conditioning has gone out in the building and its starting to get really warm."

"Do they know what the problem is?" she questioned as she pulled up the building schematics.

Morrison nodded, "The technicians found that some of the wiring and parts were pulled." He frowned, someone had been up on the roof and had not been detected in their arrival or departure. "I have my people checking all of the surveillance feeds from last night." he explained.

She looked back up at him, "Why would they want the air off? Will they be able to fix it before the banquet tonight?" she inquired.

"Maintenance said they'll have it fixed by 1600, so it should be cool enough by 1800." he thought about it for a moment. "Maybe they thought we'd move the banquet to the Officer's Club." he pondered as she received a message on her PADD.

Donovan clicked on the message and read it quickly, then erased it. "We do have another situation, Commander. A Vulcan Scientist named Solar was kidnapped this morning on his way back to the Compound."

Morrison's eyes widened, "You think they'll try to use him as a scapegoat?"

She nodded, "I'll send you his photo so you can send it out to your Security Team."

"I'll do that. Why don't you come by the Security Control Center at 1400 and we'll go over the last minute details?" he suggested.

"Yes, Sir." Donovan nodded, then he left just as swiftly as he'd arrived.

1730 - Starfleet Headquarters, Banquet Hall

Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan looked at herself in the full length mirror as she buttoned her formal Dress Blues jacket. She smoothed out the jacket over the uniform's pants, then pulled out her white gloves and put them on. She turned slightly to make sure it did not look like she had her phase pistol under her jacket. Seeing no bulge in the reflection, she opened the door and stepped into the corridor. She nodded as she passed the MACO detail standing in ten foot intervals along both sides of the corridor leading to the Banquet Hall. They were also in their formal Dress Blues and had their ceremonial swords at their sides, but were also concealing phase pistols under their jackets.

She stopped at the massive double door entry to the Banquet Hall and surveyed all of the attendees that had already arrived. She touched her implant as she looked up to the second floor balcony at the MACOs that stood silently observing the people below. "Donovan to Buchannan."

"Buchannan here, Ma'am."

"How's everything looking from up there?" she questioned him.

"It will be much easier once everyone takes their seats, but at least they are all staying in the Hall." Buchannan noted.

Donovan felt the vibration of the small messaging device in her pocket and quickly took it out and read it, then put it back. "The Admiral has arrived." She turned and headed back down the corridor and waited inside the door as the Admiral's shuttle landed. She watched as Lance Corporals Vinson and Rutledge escorted the Admiral in from his shuttle.

She nodded to the two MACOs, "Thank you, I'll escort the Admiral in from here. Your uniforms are down in the hall." she indicated for them to change out of the duty uniforms. They nodded and quickly left.

Admiral Maxwell Forrest watched as the two young MACOs headed down the corridor. He turned and looked at Donovan and smiled softly, "Well, Lieutenant - are you ready for this assignment to be over?"

Donovan raised an eyebrow curiously, "I am ready to apprehend the persons responsible for your current situation. I have found this assignment to be very insightful." she stated carefully, then indicated for him to start walking.

"That's an interesting way to put it." Forrest stated as they walked down the corridor and he nodded to each MACO as they passed. "Will you be at the table with us tonight?" he questioned.

"No, Sir. I will be protecting you from elsewhere tonight."

He stopped and looked at her closely. He didn't know what to say to her - a simple 'thank you' didn't seem to be adequate for all she'd done. He wondered if she'd learned anything more about her father's expedition team, or the missing Vulcan, but he was sure that she didn't need to be distracted right now. He smiled softly and took a deep breath, then headed into the Banquet Hall.

Donovan stayed by the Admiral's side as he walked around the room and greeted all of the guests personally.

About ten minutes later, Captain Archer and Commanders Robinson and Tucker came through the doors and the room broke out in applause.

The Admiral quickly went over to them and shook their hands.

Donovan nodded to the men as they greeted her. She led them over to the area where Starfleet Public Relations department wanted to get some pictures before the dinner began.

"Are you doing okay this evening, Lieutenant?" Commander Williams asked as he stopped beside her.

She nodded, "I'm fine, Commander - and you?" she inquired as she kept her eye on the surroundings.

"Fine." he nodded. "Lieutenant Reed stopped to speak with Commander Morrison outside the door." he stated.

She glanced at the door, then back to Williams, "Did you give Reed my message?"

"Yes, and he agreed that him sitting at the Admiral's table is a wise precaution." Williams nodded. He looked at her curiously, "Have you two ever met each other?"

"No, not in person - maybe later, time permitting." she smiled softly as the pictures had finished being taken. She walked over, then led the men to their table at the front of the Banquet Hall. She indicated each of the placards that noted their seats.

Commander Robinson grinned when she didn't move to leave, "Are you going to join us tonight?"

She noticed that Archer and Tucker tensed, but she didn't understand why. "No, Commander Robinson." she stated.

Robinson leaned closer to her, "Maybe when all of this is over, we can go to the 602 Club?" he suggested and touched her arm gently.

Donovan heard his thoughts and understood why Archer and Tucker had reacted the way they did. _A.G. Robinson had other things on his mind. _She stepped away and his arm dropped, "Let's focus on getting through this first." she suggested. She felt someone watching her and she carefully turned her attention to the door.

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed entered the Hall and spotted the Admiral and his table immediately. He watched as Commander Robinson put his hand on Lieutenant Donovan's arm. Reed noted the MACOs at the door stiffen. He stood still, so as not to provoke anyone. He noted the MACOs relaxed slightly as Donovan moved and Robinson's arm dropped. _Curious that these MACOs had reacted in such a manner._

Corporal Tinner stopped beside the Starfleet Security Officer, "Lieutenant Donovan does not like anyone to touch her, Sir. Sometimes, when people catch her off guard, she has a tendency to react on instinct." he explained.

Reed raised an eyebrow, "So, were they worried about Robinson, or how she'd react?"

Tinner smiled and shrugged. He pulled out a small earpiece and handed it to the Lieutenant, "She asked that you wear this tonight. If we communicate to you, just double click that you acknowledge."

Reed nodded and quickly inserted the small device in his ear, "Thank you, Corporal." He looked over to the table and saw Donovan looking at him. He nodded to her, then headed to the Admiral's table.

Lieutenant Donovan nodded and indicated the approaching Officer, "Lieutenant Reed will be here with you, Sir." she stated.

Admiral Forrest shook Lieutenant Reed's hand, "Thank you for your help in this whole situation, Lieutenant Reed."

"My pleasure, Admiral." He glanced at Donovan, "I'll take it from here."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Donovan looked at Admiral Forrest once more, "Have a good evening, Admiral."

The men watched as she headed over to the door as Ambassador Soval and his entourage arrived.

"Good evening, Ambassador Soval." Donovan greeted him. "Would you like for me to show you to your table?" she offered.

Ambassador Soval watched her curiously, "We can find our way, I am sure you have other duties to attend to."

"Yes, I do, but it would be impolite for me not to offer. Have a good evening, Ambassador." she bowed slightly, then turned and made her way around the perimeter of the Hall.

The gong sounded a few minutes later and indicated for everyone to take their seats.

The Public Relations film crew moved closer to the podium to start its broadcast.

Admiral Davis came to the podium and looked out to the crowd, "Tonight, we are gathered to celebrate the successful testing of the Warp Engine in Starfleet's first Warp Five Vessel - the NX-01, Enterprise." he smiled as the crowd clapped. "We would like to take this time to recount all that has led up to this momentous occasion." he indicated the large monitor that activated behind him. He stepped off from behind the podium as the lights dimmed slightly and the film compiled by the Public Relations Department started.

Lieutenant Donovan continued her slow walk around the perimeter when her thoughts were interrupted.

"Tinner to Donovan." the MACO requested.

She doubled clicked her implant for him to continue as she looked up to the second floor to spot him.

"Ma'am, I thought I saw movement on the ceiling." he stated as he continued to watch the spot that now looked fine. "Could be nothing." he added.

She looked at the location he was focused on and touched her implant, "I'll check it out." She made her way to the door and headed up the stairs to the third floor. "Donovan to Security Command Center." she requested.

"SCC, go ahead Lieutenant." Morrison replied.

"Possible movement in the ceiling space, I'm headed to check it out." she stated as she opened the door to the third floor and found the panel access to the ceiling space.

"Acknowledged. The temperature is still over a hundred degrees in the ceiling space - use caution, Lieutenant." Morrison explained as he watched the readings on the monitors of the Banquet Hall and all of the other monitors around Starfleet Headquarters.

"Understood." Donovan acknowledged and took the access panel off the wall. She stepped back as hot air escaped the ceiling space. She took off her gloves and jacket, then hung it on the panel she'd removed.

A distorted voice interrupted her movements. "Lieutenant Donovan, we suggest that you go back downstairs."

"And if I don't?" she questioned as she removed her phase pistol from her holster. She quickly glanced down the corridor.

"Then you will not have to worry about your father anymore." the voice replied.

Kaitlyn frowned. _Would the MACO squad be to her father's camp on time?_ She had no way of knowing - she just had to have faith that they would be there in time. She clicked on her implant, "Donovan to Buchannan."

Only silence - not even static. _Of course Terra Prime had shut off her implant_. She quickly got the messaging device out of her jacket pocket and sent a flash message requesting assistance, not knowing if anyone would receive the message. It didn't look like the device was working. She put it in her pants pocket and climbed in the wall panel.

It took her eyes a few moments to adjust to the dimness of the space that was rarely accessed. She quietly made her way to the southern corner of the space. After a few minutes, she wiped the sweat from her brow before it could drip into her eyes. She looked to the right as she heard a low voice about fifty feet away. She kept low and inched her way closer until she could make out two figures. One was seated and leaning against the wall stiffly, and the other was getting into the prone position and moved the ceiling tile slightly.

Donovan steadied her breathing and her heart rate as she carefully took aim at the man's hand on the rifle. She sent one shot straight into his hand and heard his muffled curse as the rifle slipped out of his grip.

The man looked over in her direction, then quickly stabbed something into the other figure's leg. He then picked up the rifle with his other hand and scurried away.

Donovan quickly crawled over to the figure seated against the wall and recognized him as Commander Solar as she got closer. "What did he do to you, Commander?" she questioned and looked him over for injuries.

"He injected me with a drug to induce paralysis and brought me here, just now he injected me again - most likely a lethal dosage." the Vulcan stated calmly.

"Can you still move at all?" she asked as she pulled out a small metal disk from her pocket.

"I can still move my fingers." the Vulcan said and moved them as proof.

She placed the disk in his hand, "Press the disk and it will get you to safety. Inform them what has happened." she requested. She quickly headed after the assassin and heard the familiar whirl of the transporter behind her. She followed the trail of blood loss as she made her way to an open access panel to the corridor.

She climbed out and was immediately slammed back against the wall, her pistol was sent flying down the corridor. She kicked her aggressor back and whirled around.

She blinked in disbelief, "Fin?" Her mind reeled at the thought of this former MACO being the assassin sent after Admiral Forrest.

The distorted voice interrupted her thoughts, "Let him finish his assignment and your father and his expedition team will live."

Fin looked at her questionably.

Kaitlyn Donovan shook her head, "I won't allow you to kill Admiral Forrest." she stated firmly.

xxxxx

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed kept his eyes alert as the narrative on the huge monitor detailed the construction on the Enterprise and the building of the Warp Five Engine and everyone involved.

"Tinner to Reed." the young MACO said quietly, then continued. "Lieutenant Donovan went to go check on movement in the ceiling space and has failed to check in at five minutes."

Malcolm Reed double clicked the earpiece and stood up and made his way out the door.

Admiral Forrest watched as the Security Officer quickly left. He also noted that Donovan was not in the room. He took a slow breath to try and relax. _Something was definitely up_, because he knew Reed wouldn't have left the table otherwise. He said a quick prayer and tried to concentrate on the narrative and remember the speech he was about to give, and hoped that he would be able to give it.

xxxxx

Kaitlyn Donovan saw the glint of metal and deflected the knife, but not before it sliced along her left chin line. She quickly grabbed Fin's wounded hand and squeezed until he dropped to his knees. She moved to wrench his arm to get him to drop the knife he still had in his left hand, but he refrained and with a quick motion, he stabbed her in the right side. She felt a burning sensation flood through her as he twisted the knife. She clinched her teeth and slammed her knee up into his jaw and felt it crack on impact.

Fin pulled the knife out as he jumped back.

She watched as the blood flowed from his mouth and he spit it on the floor. She saw the fury in his eyes as he lunged at her. She deflected his furious knife thrusts and managed to break a few of his ribs when she jabbed her fist into them.

He seemed to be strengthened by his pain and jumped at her and sent them slamming onto the floor.

Donovan winced as she felt her left shoulder pop out of place when she landed. She quickly reached up with both hands to keep Fin from shoving the knife into her chest. She felt her grip start to slip as her shoulder began moving out of place further.

She heard the sound of the phaser first, then noticed the surprised look on Fin's face as his eyes glazed over and his movement stopped. She quickly pushed him off, then looked up and saw Lieutenant Reed keeping his aim on Fin.

"Can you get up, Lieutenant?" he asked her.

Kaitlyn nodded and slowly stood up and leaned against the wall. She pressed her hand against her side to try and slow the warm blood that was flowing out. "Thank you, Lieutenant." she nodded and tried to catch her breath.

Reed placed a transponder on Fin and the man quickly dematerialized. He walked over to her slowly, "Is the situation secure?"

"Yes." she had heard Fin's thoughts when she had been struggling with him. "Fin was the assassin sent after Admiral Forrest." she said as she slid down the wall when her legs gave out.

Malcolm Reed realized she was in worse shape than he originally thought. He quickly put a transponder on her as he opened his communicator, "One to transport directly to Medical." he ordered. "Good work, Lieutenant." he stepped back as she was quickly transported away. He opened his communicator and reported that the assassin had been apprehended by Lieutenant Donovan, then headed back to the banquet and took his seat again.

Admiral Forrest looked at the Security Officer questionably as he sat down.

"The situation has been resolved, Admiral." Reed reported softly.

Forrest sighed in relief, but noticed that Donovan hadn't returned, "What about Lieutenant Donovan?" he inquired.

"She has been transported to Medical." Reed replied. She was in really bad shape, but it wouldn't help the Admiral to know just how bad at the moment.

Admiral Forrest nodded and stood up as it was time for him to give his speech. He smiled softly as he looked out to the audience.

xxxxx

Kaitlyn Donovan opened her eyes slowly as she heard the noises of animals around her. She smiled softly as she recognized Doctor Phlox's examining room.

The Denobulan Doctor smiled brightly as he stepped into her view, "It's good to see you awake, Lieutenant."

"Damage?" she questioned.

"I have repaired your injuries, though the slight scar along your chin has not gone away." he watched her carefully. "It was a good thing you got here so quickly - you lost a lot of blood." He was amazed at how quickly her body was working to heal itself.

She winced as she raised the head of the bed slightly, "How long have I been out?"

"Only two hours." the doctor watched her as she focused on breathing through the pain.

"The Admiral? Everything went okay?" she asked quickly.

The doctor looked back as a man stood up from a chair across the room and came closer.

Harris glanced at the doctor, "Could you give us a few minutes, Doctor?" he requested.

Doctor Phlox nodded, "I'll be back." he promised her, then left.

Harris smiled softly, "You did a fine job, Kaitlyn." He remembered her question, "The Admiral gave his speech and everything went without a hitch."

Kaitlyn nodded, thankful that they had stopped Fin before he completed his assignment. "And my father's expedition team?" she inquired.

"After the MACOs arrived, Paxton's people left without incident. Your father and his team doesn't even know they were in any danger." Harris reported as he sat down on the stool beside her bed.

"Fin?" she asked as she looked at him slowly. It was still hard for her to believe the MACO that she'd saved years ago had almost killed her a few hours ago.

"He did not survive his injuries." Harris watched her carefully.

She glanced down at her hands and nodded slowly and breathed in deeply. "Who's going after the Weapon Supplier?"

"I have someone in mind." Harris stated and crossed his arms. "You informed your team to notify Lieutenant Reed if something went wrong - why?"

Kaitlyn closed her eyes as a wave of fatigue swept over her, "I trust him." she admitted softly.

Harris raised an eyebrow in surprise. She didn't trust too many people. _He wondered what Reed had done to earn her trust. _"Rest up, Kaitlyn - I believe you have a training mission on Mars in a few weeks." he left her to sleep.

xxxxx

0900 Command Council Meeting

The Admirals on the Command Council listened carefully as the man before them explained the situation that had been resolved.

Admiral Davis shook his head, "You conducted this investigation without informing us." he pointed out. This group all knew about Section 31 - and the fact that the Section did Starfleet's dirty work. _Plausible deniability_ was part of the reason the Section had been formed.

Harris looked over the gathered Admirals, "We do not have to inform you of our investigations, nor ask for your permission. The plot against Admiral Forrest's life was thwarted, we stopped three bombs from destroying the Enterprise that would have halted the Warp Five program indefinitely." He locked eyes with Admiral Davis as he leaned on the table, "We found the Terra Prime Operative in Starfleet Security and dealt with him quietly. We found the mole in the Admiral's office and kept him from being killed by the very people that killed his family and set him up as the scapegoat, not to mention that we rescued the kidnapped Vulcan Scientist. What more do you want?" he questioned and stood back up.

Admiral Forrest looked at Harris, "Will you be going after the Weapon Supplier of the bombs?" he inquired.

Harris clasped his hands behind his back, "I am not at liberty to discuss that at the moment."

Forrest frowned at the man's evasiveness, "A simple yes or no would suffice." he sighed.

Harris shrugged, "It would be irresponsible of us not to follow the leads we have been given during the course of this investigation." he stated, still not giving them a firm answer.

Forrest nodded, "Thank you for your report."

Harris nodded and quickly transported away.

Maxwell Forrest wondered how many times that man had been through the transporter. He stood up as his fellow Admirals came over to ask him more questions about the recent events and the threat to his life.

xxxxx

John Frederick Paxton looked out his office window to the San Francisco Bay and frowned. His plan to destroy the Enterprise and assassinate Admiral Forrest had both been thwarted. His backup plan to use Kaitlyn Donovan's father as leverage had also been compromised, but he wasn't sure if she suspected his involvement.

Daniel came in the office and stopped beside his leader, "I take responsibility for these setbacks - I should have selected better people for the tasks." he stated.

Paxton shook his head at Daniel. _He could always count on him to take care of what needed to be done._ "No, Daniel - this is not your fault. I underestimated Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan." he glanced at his friend, "I won't make that mistake again."

"Would you like for me to pay her a visit?" Daniel offered.

"No, not now. Too many people know that she has done work for me and they might make the connection." Paxton sighed softly.

Daniel smiled sadistically, "I thought you might say that. I've been looking into some old records and found this photograph, then I remembered our guy's report after he followed Donovan to that restaurant - anything look suspicious to you?"

Paxton looked over the photograph from about twenty years ago. They had found the picture on Trian Donovan. She and four friends were sitting at a table and smiling at the camera. Then he looked at the photo taken from the other night. He smiled slowly, "They don't look like they've aged a day." He patted Daniel's shoulder, "We may have just located four more aliens on our planet. Good work, Daniel." Paxton looked back out the window, "Find them." he ordered.

Daniel nodded and quickly left.

John Frederick Paxton thought carefully. _Perhaps it would be better if Enterprise launched and they travelled for a while - surely they would stir up trouble on their own_. He could use that as a platform for reform. On the other hand, they did have eight more months. They could try and destroy the ship at its launch - that would be a spectacular sight, it was sure to be broadcasted to the world. He steepled his fingers as he pondered the situation. He needed something that would show the people of Earth the true nature of the aliens and how the planet would be forever tainted by them. He sat down in his chair and started to formulate a few plans to be implemented simultaneously.

xxxxx

Lieutenant Kaitlyn Donovan smiled softly as the bar started to fill with her invited guests. _'The Devil Dog'_ was an establishment that catered to MACOs, both currently on active duty, and those that were not. She had invited all of the MACOs that had helped in protecting Admiral Forrest for a round of drinks to celebrate a job well done. She went and thanked them all individually as she made her way around the establishment.

Major Hayes watched as she stopped beside him, "This was nice of you to do, Lieutenant." he nodded as he set down his glass of water.

She shrugged, "We'll be leaving soon, thought I might as well thank them before we go."

He glanced at his watch, "Enjoy your day off tomorrow." he nodded, then headed to HQ since he'd just dropped by before going on duty.

Kaitlyn watched as some of her fellow MACOs played darts, or cards, and others played pool. She sat down at the bar.

Charlie, the ever present owner and barkeep, came over to her. "Glad you're alright, Ma'am - heard you got a bit banged up." He quickly mixed her usual drink and set it down in front of her.

She shrugged, "I'll be okay."

He nodded, "I'm sure you will be." He moved down the bar to take care of another customer.

Kaitlyn was pleasantly surprised by the man that sat down at the stool next to her, "I didn't know if you'd show up." she admitted.

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed smiled softly, "I can't stay long." _ Not if they didn't want Harris to find out they'd met. _He ordered a logger when Charlie came over and inquired.

She sipped her White Russian as Charlie put the logger in front of the Starfleet Lieutenant. "I wanted to personally thank you for all of your help." she stated.

He nodded, "You did a great job, too." he pointed out. He leaned closer, "I have a few questions, if you'd be willing to hear them out?" he inquired.

_She thought he would_, "Go ahead, Lieutenant." she smiled.

Malcolm Reed pulled out the PADD from his leather jacket and brought up the schematics of the bomb that had been attached to the matter-antimatter assembly, "About this wiring . . ." he began.

xxxxx

Epilogue

One month later. Section 31 Facilities.

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed walked down the corridor and stopped at Harris' office door. He straightened his uniform, then knocked.

"Enter." Harris bellowed.

Reed stepped in and closed the door behind him.

"Take a seat, Lieutenant." Harris indicated, then leaned forward. "Have you selected an operative to go with you on the assignment?

Lieutenant Reed frowned, "Sir, the two operatives that you sent me to check on will not work. The first one was so self-centered, I doubt she could follow through on the assignment. The second one isn't interested in men, so I seriously doubt we could pull off the background aspect of the assignment." he explained. He looked at Harris, "Isn't there someone else you can recommend? I'd hate to use a civilian for this assignment."

Harris sighed softly as he sat back in his chair. He mentally filed this information about the other two operatives away in his mind. _He knew who would be perfect for the assignment,_ but he disliked the thought of the two of them working together. Harris didn't like his Operatives co-mingling with each other, there was too much that could go wrong. The possibility that they could later compromise another mission because they knew each other was a big concern. He also had many other missions going on that could possibly be impacted by this one. He mentally weighed the consequences and decided that he really didn't have any other option. He picked up his PADD and sent a file to Reed. "Lieutenant Donovan just got back from training with the MACOs on Mars - go talk to her, see if she's willing to go on the assignment. If she's willing, her CO will release her."

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed nodded and smiled inwardly as he stood up. Donovan had bet him that they would never work together. _Looks like she was wrong._

Harris noted the calm expression that had come over Reed's face. He clicked an icon on his PADD, "She's at the MACO Training Gym." he stated as he noted her location.

Reed turned and quickly left.

Harris frowned. _He wondered if he'd just made a big mistake. _

xxxxx

Author's Note: The sequel to this story will be titled 'All's Fair in Love and War' in which Section 31 Operatives Reed and Donovan go after the Weapons Supplier of Terra Prime in order to prevent any further attacks before the launching of the Enterprise.


End file.
